To See the World
by Nanoman94
Summary: A boy who can talk to pokemon starts his very own pokemon journey. But what twists and secrets await him? Action! Adventure! Romance! And battles other than Pokemon ones! This one has it all! Rated T for language and violence.
1. My First Pokemon

(A/N: this story takes place in my own rendition of the Pokémon series. In it, trainers have three different options to pursue. Trainers can do gyms and contests, as usual, but then the Battle Tents from emerald version form their own special league. Seven symbols from the tents give you access to the facility of the region, where you battle a single frontier brain that is the leader of the region. I start in Hoenn, and travel to others from there. Enjoy!)

Chapter 1  
My First Pokémon

My alarm clock rang out, waking me up from my slumber. I lived in one of the three houses in Littleroot town, the one next to the Pokémon lab. One of the other homes was lived in by Prof. Birch, leading Pokémon researcher in the Hoenn Region. The other house was being moved into today, by a family from Petalburg. My father wanted us to greet them when they arrived.

So I jumped off of my bed, and pulled on my red and black shorts, with the red as stripes down the side. A black t-shirt flew on, along with an open jacket that matched the shorts. Red fingerless gloves and crimson sneakers followed, as well as a set of black headphones over my spiky green hair. Lastly, I put a small necklace on, with a half-blue and half-yellow gem on the end of it. (I'm not repeating this, since I, like most trainers, do not change their general appearance during their adventure)

I went downstairs, made my own breakfast as usual. My father worked as a programmer for Devon Corp., so he practically lived in Rustboro. At least he could come home for most holidays; my mother worked in a special research facility in the Orre Region. They're so secretive that most of the rest of the world does not know what they do.

"Sorry I'm late, son." My dad said as he crashed into the living room. He ran in about three seconds ago, tripping over the family's pet, Joshua the Eevee. He hissed in annoyance, then fell back asleep. "So, how's my favorite fifteen year old?"

"Sixteen, dad. You missed my birthday by a few weeks."

"I did? I'm sorry, you know with where I-"

"Yeah, its fine. I didn't want any big celebration anyway." All that really happened was my friend Brendan and I ran along our usual path in the woods, to our secret hideout- a tree fort we built when we were younger. Several Pokémon lived in there now, along with a grouchy Shiftree. We leave him alone, though.

"So, you got your first Pokémon yet?"

"No, plan on getting it today along with Brendan and the new guy who's moving in."

"Hah! I guess I'll be here for something, right?"

"Yeah, guess you will." The two of us walked outside to the house in the northwest of town. A moving truck was already parked outside, with several Machoke moving supplies inside. A Woman stood outside, probably the mother of the family moving in. "Hello, welcome to Littleroot. I'm Zack, and this is my dad."

"Oh, hello. I'm Caroline. My-" she was cut off when a boy dressed in an outfit similar to mine, but green and orange instead of red and black, crashed into her. He wore a green headband instead of headphones on his white hair.

"Ow… sorry, new neighbor." Brendan said as he helped Caroline to her feet.

"It's no problem. And you are?"

"Brendan. Brendan Birch."

"Nice to meet you, all of you. My daughter, May, is upstairs. We came here so she could get her first Pokémon and start her journey."

"So are we!" Brendan exclaimed.

A large crash sounded behind us. Two Machoke were lifting a couch off of a third, on whom the furniture fell on. "Mom? Is everything okay down there?" I heard a girl's voice say. That must have been May.

"Yes, dear. The movers just dropped the sofa, that's all. Why don't you come in and meet the neighbors? They're also getting their Pokémon today." We heard a muffled okay from the window, and May walked out of the door several seconds later. (Think of her anime appearance-that's how she looks.)

"Hello, I'm May. Nice to meet you…" she was obviously looking for our names.

"I'm Zack. This," I pulled Brendan away from the flowers he was admiring "Is my friend Brendan."

"You kids ready?" a voice said behind us. It was Professor Birch, Brendan's dad and lead Pokémon researcher in Hoenn. "Follow me, you three. Time to get your Pokémon." We said our goodbyes to our families, and followed Birch to the lab. He gestured to a table, and three standard Pokéballs were on it. I knew them to contain the starters of Hoenn; Treeko, the grass type, Mudkip, the water type, and Torchic, the fire type. "These three Pokéballs contain the first companion of hopefully many you will get over the course of your journey. Choose, choose."

"Ladies first," Brendan said to May. She nodded, and picked the one on the far left. Inside was a Torchic, a small orange chicken. It shook its body upon release from the Pokéball. Brendan chose the one in the middle, and out came a Mudkip, which lazily flopped on the ground after release.

Mine must contain a Treeko, which it did. However, it turned around, and smashed the Pokéball it was contained in to smithereens. It jumped out the window, and ran. "Wait up!" I shouted, flying out the door to the lab after it. I chased it far into the woods, much farther than I had ever been in before. I lost track of it, and found myself lost.

{Help! Help!} I heard. I guess I should explain- I can talk to Pokémon and understand them as if they were humans. I always could, but I never told anyone before, since it would only make them think I was crazy. I guess you could call me a "Poké-whisperer" or something. Someone, anyone, Help!

I ran towards the sound. In a small clearing, I saw several Poocheyna backing a Ralts into a tree, the small psychic type unable to run or attack. I stepped in between them in instinct, and tried to talk the Poocheyna out of their attack. {What's going on here, you guys? Six on one seems a little unfair.}

The lead dark-type replied to me. {What's it to you, human? Your kind rarely even considers the problems of us in the wild.}

{I think I see bullies when I see them. What did this poor girl do to you?}

{She trespassed on our territory. Knowingly, too.}

{I just wanted some food…} the Ralts said. Now that I look at her, I saw she was different than others of her kind- her hair was blue, not green, and her eyes as well as the horns on her head were orange, not red.

{See? She was hungry. Tell you what; I'll take her with me, and you will never have to see her again. Agreed?}

I picked up the Ralts as the lead Poocheyna said {Fine. But if we catch her anywhere near here again, she's gonna get it.} the small wolf Pokémon retreated back into the forest as I tried to find my way back to Littleroot.

{You didn't have to help me…} the Ralts said.

{I know someone in trouble when I see it. You got a name? I'm Zack.}

{I don't have a name… my parents threw me out of our home because of my abnormal color.}

{No name and no home? Well, I'm leaving on a journey around the world. Why don't you come with me?}

{Well… okay. Do you live in the small town on the edge of the forest?}

{Yes, I do. And I also think you're going to need a name. How about…. Kiara?}

{I like it. I'm glad to meet you, Zack. And thank you for helping me.} She pointed in the direction to my left. {Littleroot is that way…}

{Oh, thanks.} I eventually made my way back to the village, Kiara sitting on my shoulder. My dad saw me, worn as I was from the trip and several plant parts hanging off of my clothes. "Hi, dad." I said.

"Zack, thank Arceus you're okay! What's that on your arm?"

"She's a Ralts, dad. And she's gonna be my first Pokémon."

Prof. Birch ran up to me next, closely examining Kiara. "Fascinating! An oddly-colored Ralts specimen!" Kiara was leaning away from him, obviously scared of him.

"Hey, she's a little scared. I saved her from a pack of Poocheyna. Can I have a Pokéball?" Prof. Birch handed me one, but it was black and gold instead of the normal coloration.

"It's a luxury ball. I don't have any normal ones on me, so there you go! An unorthodox ball for an unorthodox starter!"

I knelt down on the ground, and Kiara jumped off of my shoulder. If you want to come with me, you have to go in here. But you don't have to stay in there if you don't want to.

Okay. she touched the ball with her hand, and was sucked in with a flash of red light. Seconds later, the Pokéball went still, signifying that she was registered in there. I let her out immediately afterwards, and she sat on my shoulder again.

"Excellent, excellent! It is late, however. Even though May and Brendan have already left, I'm afraid you have to wait until tomorrow to get your Pokédex and start your journey." Birch said.

"No problem." I walked into my house, my dad asleep on the couch in minutes. I changed into blue pajamas with a Pikachu print on them. Kiara sat on the bed next to me, and I pulled the covers up over the both of us.

{Goodnight, Zack.} she said.

{Goodnight, Kiara.}

(A/N: Yep, another new one to go with the Kingdom Hearts one. And, here's a little question to hold you over until the next chapter: who is my next Pokémon? The breed has already been stated. If you guess right, there will be cake. Nanoman, out.)


	2. Saving the Day

Chapter 2  
Saving the Day

The next morning was like the last. I woke up, got dressed, and ate breakfast. Kiara ate the same thing I did, a bowl of Bayleaf Crunch. I filled Joshua's food bowl, when the thought struck me- who would take care of him? Dad's going back to Rustboro tomorrow and I'm leaving. Wait… I'm leaving….

{Hey Joshua, do you want to come with me? I'm leaving today.}

{Where are you going?} he responded.

{On a journey around the world. I'm just concerned about you being lonely.}

{Sure. It's better than being here, with nobody but the professor for company. He scares me.} I grabbed his Pokéball off of the fireplace, calling him in it. I walked out to Birch's lab, Kiara in her spot on my shoulder. Both Pokéballs hung on my belt, jingling as I walked. Birch greeted me as I walked in.

"Hello! I don't want to waste your time; you were supposed to begin yesterday!" he handed me a small gray rectangle, with a red Pokéball design on one side. I pressed a button, and a second screen popped out. An electric voice spoke.

_"Ralts, the feeling Pokémon. It can use the horns on its head to read human emotions. Ralts rarely shows itself to humans, but may occasionally approach when it senses positive or happy feelings." _Several pictures of a generic Ralts were shown on the upper screen.

"It's the newest version, direct from Unova. Now, here are some extra Pokéballs, and good luck to you on your adventure!" Birch handed me six of the capture devices, and I placed them and the Pokédex in my pocket. Next thing I knew, I was out of the door, out of town, and on my way to explore the world.

{I've never been this far from the lake I lived by…} Kiara said.

{I've been to Rustboro and everywhere in between a few times, but not recently. I haven't left my hometown for a year or so now.}

Kiara and I exchanged small talk from there, mostly about our life before we met. Which was a lot, considering we only met twelve hours ago. Halfway up the route, I found a red bandana. {Hey, Kiara, doesn't this look like May's bandana?}

{Who's May?}

{Oh, right. You haven't met her yet.} I looked around, and saw footprints in mud on the side of the route. One set belonged to a human, a second set belonged to a Torchic. A bunch of holes, small and round, covered the area completely. {What do you suppose these holes are?}

{It looks like… a bunch of footprints?} Kiara said.

Well, you're not wrong. I followed them off of the road, deep into untamed wilds. Eventually, I saw movement ahead, when a large red body scuttled through the trees. It walked forward, and revealed itself as an Ariados to us. I immediately whipped out the Pokédex.

_"Ariados, the Long Leg Pokémon, and the evolved form of Spinarak. Ariados is able to spin extremely strong and sticky webs to trap its foes." _Well, that filled me with confidence. {Uhh… Hi there…}

{Who you? Why here?} it said.

{I'm Zack… and I got lost…} my stomach growled at this point. Had I mentioned it was probably noon, and I forgot to pack food?

{You here, take Dinner? You no take!} it launched acid at me, which I barely dodged. Kiara fell off my shoulder, and landed right in front of the Ariados. It spun a web around her, trapping her against a tree.

"Joshua, on your feet!" I shouted as I threw the Pokéball with my friend inside. The small fox-like Pokémon landed on the ground on all fours, ready to fight. I pulled out my Pokédex again, since I haven't scanned Joshua yet to know what his moves are- despite being around me for several years, he never actually battled.

_"Eevee, the evolution Pokémon. Eevee is a unique Pokémon that can adapt to its environment by changing its form and abilities when evolving."_ I saw that he knew Tackle, Growl, and (for some strange reason) Shadow Ball.

Ariados launched more webbing, and I told Eevee to dodge. "Use Tackle!" Joshua did so, smashing against the Bug-Type. Ariados slashed with its legs, inflicting major damage on my friend. "Shadow Ball!" His attack hit home and the Ariados fell on its back. I grabbed it, and pinned it to the ground.

{We're not here to steal your food. We were just exploring, and got lost.}

{You no steal? How me trust?}

{You can watch us as we move in your territory. That way, you'll know if we take anything.}

{Alright, me let you. But you promise- no steal.}

{I promise.} I let the spider go, and recalled Joshua to his Pokéball, saying You did great. from by belt, I pulled out a switchblade knife I got from my dad several years ago. Nothing special, just blackened steel. I cut Kiara loose, and she clung to my head in fear when I lifted her up. {Hey, hey! Not the face, Kiara!}

{Sorry, I'm just a little shaken.} we walked through the woods some more, with Ariados close behind. I looked at Kiara's registration in my Pokédex to learn she only knew Growl and Confusion. I soon heard struggling, like someone in trouble. I passed through a thicker bush, and saw a giant spider web. Two bundles of silk were hung on it, one larger than the other. The larger one was struggling to free itself.

{That me dinner! You promise no steal.} the Ariados said.

"Mph! Help!" the silk said. It sounded like May. I took out my switchblade, ant cut a few strands on the silk.

{You no steal!}

{I'm not, I'm just looking.} I cut some more strands by the top, and a pair of feet in blue and white sneakers popped out. Apparently, May was being hung upside-down in Ariados's web. The smaller bump must be her Torchic. {Hey, Ariados, I'm sorry, but you seem to have caught one of my friends.}

{That no friend! That dinner!}

{I'm gonna have to let them go, sorry.}

{You break promise! You steal!} it hit my legs with a string shot, tying me up and sending me to the ground. Kiara was launched off of my shoulder and onto the big web, and Joshua's Pokéball rolled out of my reach.

"Kiara, Confusion! Hurry!" I saw Ariados be picked up by a psychic force, and it was flung far across the clearing. This gave me enough time to cut myself and May free.

"Thank you for helping me! I'd be dead for sure if you didn't show up!" she said as I started to cut Kiara and Torchic free. Torchic fell out of its cocoon, and May scooped it up. Kiara fell on my head and clung there, petrified with fear of the spider that was on a tree across from us. I quickly grabbed Joshua's Pokéball as well as a rock. The rock was shortly thrown at the Ariados, but missed badly.

{You steal dinner! You now dinner!} it said. But my stone did hit something-a tan sphere that fell out of a tree and onto the Ariados. May and I looked at it in horror.

She started to say, "Is that a…"

"Beedrill nest?" I finished.

"RUN!" we both screamed as several Beedrill started to fly at us with great speed, sharp stingers at the ready.

(A/N: Wow, not one, not two, but twenty-three OC submissions! In less than one week! Thanks for all of the great characters, I'll fit them in when I can. Please, no more submissions until I get these out of the way; probably in the next few weeks. Thanks you for your support!)


	3. Oldale Town

Chapter 3  
Oldale Town

We managed to return to Route 301 without the Beedrill killing us. We gasped for air after our three mile run, exhausted. "I…I think this is yours…" I said as I held May's bandana to her.

"I thought… I lost that…" she tied it around her head, holding up most of her chestnut hair.

"I noticed that Torchic hadn't put any damage onto that Ariados. Didn't you attack back?"

"Well… I kinda don't like… Pokémon…"

I was dumbstruck. Why would a person travel with Pokémon if she doesn't like them? I repeated the question to May. "I just want to travel, and get away from my home. See the world."

"Well, you're gonna have to do something. I mean, nobody sees a trainer who only wants to travel. I'm headed for the Gyms, myself."

"Hmm… I'll figure something out. Where's the Treeko that ran away? Don't you still have it?"

"No…" I related the story to May, leaving out the whole talk-to-Pokémon thing. She believed me, and I introduced her to Kiara and Joshua, in turn.

"Aww! Your Eevee's soooo cute!" she said.

{I'm a guy; I don't like being called "Cute".} Joshua said. May didn't understand that, of course. I called him back into his Pokéball, and we continued walking north up the route. We eventually reached our first destination: Oldale Town, a small village that's mainly a rest stop between Littleroot and Petalburg. Before we stepped ten feet into the village, my stomach growled.

"Umm, Zack? Was that your stomach?" Her stomach growled as soon as she was done.

"Yeah, I forgot to pack food. And it looks like you forgot, too!"

"Oh, shut up! Let's just go to the Pokémon Center and get something to eat." As we walked in, we were immediately greeted by Nurse Joy, who stood behind a desk not far from the main door.

"Hello, and welcome to the Oldale Pokémon Center. May I heal your Pokémon for you?" I handed up both Pokéballs, and Kiara jumped off of my shoulder. May put Torchic's Pokéball next to mine. "I'll be back with your Pokémon later. Please enjoy your time here."

May and I immediately headed for the cafeteria. I purchased a Tauros burger, while May had a mixed berry salad. We eagerly ate our food, since it was evening of my second day as a trainer, and I only had food this morning. I don't know when May last ate, but she was captured and well… was too "tied up" to eat, I guess.

I decided to rent a room in the Pokémon Center, the ones specifically reserved for trainers. May couldn't afford one after her sandwich, since all her money was in her bag, which was lost after she was captured. I offered to let her stay in mine- it would be a little awkward, but all the other rooms were taken by the time this was made apparent.

"Umm, sure, Zack. Thanks, even though you didn't have to."

"No problem, anything for a friend." We heard a bell at the front desk.

"Trainers Zack and May, your Pokémon are healed up, please come retrieve them." We walked up to the counter, and May placed Torchic's Pokéball on her belt. The two I carried went into a small container I found at the Pokémart, a small box of brown leather that had six holes for carrying Pokéballs- the regulation amount. Kiara was still out, and jumped on her usual spot.

"Hey, why doesn't Kiara go in her Pokéball?" May said as we entered the room.

"Why ride around in a Pokéball when my shoulder offers a better view? I let my Pokémon decide how they travel with me; I don't force them into something they don't want." I put Kiara onto one of the beds (there are two bunk beds in a room) and headed into the small bathroom, where I changed into my Pikachu-printed pajamas. My normal clothes headed into a backpack I bought, along with standard travelling supplies. The backpack was mustard yellow, with a couple of black stripes on it to make it slightly resemble a Combee. When I went out, May slightly laughed from behind her hand. "Hey, don't laugh. I like Pikachu, especially after watching Ash Ketchum at the Jhoto League."

"No, not that… I'm laughing at your Ralts." I turned around, and Kiara had fallen off of the bed into a wastebasket. Due to the size of a Ralts's head, it got stuck and she couldn't get it off.

"So you're laughing at my Pokémon instead of helping her?" I said as I picked up Kiara, tugging on the trash can.

{Ow, ow, ow! Get it off of me!} Kiara said. May joined in after apologizing, and together we got it off of Kiara. Her hair stuck up in the exact shape of the trash bin, covering her horns and exposing her eyes. {How do I look?}

"Dear Arceus, she looks hilarious!" May said. I agreed and laughed as I held Kiara up to the mirror in the bathroom. She laughed as well, and I worked on getting her hair back down to normal. It took nothing less than five gallons of hot water and an entire bottle of shampoo to do that, as well as a can of hairspray I had to go and get from the Pokémart.

After that was all said and done, I had noticed that May didn't change for the night. "Hey, you're not going to sleep in your day clothes, right?"

"My spare clothes were in my bag, and that's somewhere in Ariados's lair. I lost everything when I was captured." I picked some money out of my pocket, and handed it to her. "No, I couldn't accept that…"

"It's no problem. Whatever my mom does in Orre, it pays well, and she sends most of it to me. I'm not exactly rich, but I can buy almost anything I want. Here, go and buy yourself some new clothes and a new bag."

"I don't know when I could pay you back…"

"You don't have to. Like I said; anything for a friend." I got Kiara settled in a bed while she was gone- Kiara was used to sleeping in trees, so she insisted on getting the top bunk. She also refused to sleep by herself, so I'll have to bunk with her. May walked back in later, with a bag on her waist exactly like the one she had the first time we met.

"Hey, what do you think of my new bag?"

"I like it. What else did you get?"

"Just some clothes and Pokémon supplies. Speaking of clothes, I'll be right back." She walked into the bathroom and closed the door. I climbed up into the top bunk with Kiara, who snuggled close and fell asleep. May walked out in a blue nightdress, and climbed into the opposite top bunk.

"Good night, May." She was sound asleep before my sentence was finished.

(It was brought to my attention that the signs I used to show Pokémon speech were not supported by . The math Greater/Less than signs. The first two chapters will be fixed when procrastination lets me. ~Nano)


	4. The First Battle, and a New Friend

Chapter 4  
The First Battle… and a New Friend

I was very annoyed in the morning. Kiara was on top of my head; she had this grabbing problem in her sleep. May wasn't in her bed, although I guessed she was in the shower; I saw large amounts of steam coming out of the cracks in the bathroom door. I wrote a quick note to her on a pad that was in the room, saying I've gone to the cafeteria for breakfast. I roused Kiara from her slumber, and she lazily fell off of the bed and onto my arm once again.

I ordered an Eegsacute Omelet, while I got Kiara a Pecha Berry salad. As I was eating, I heard the scratching of a pencil from across the table. I looked up, and the guy at the table across from me was sketching something- while looking at me. He had his black hair up with a red hair band, and wore a sea-green shirt with khaki pants. "Umm, excuse me, but what are you doing?" I looked at Kiara, who was shying away from the stranger.

"Oh, sorry. I've just never seen a Ralts with that coloration before. Do you mind if I sketch it? I'm Tracy, by the way."

"Well, that's mainly up to Kiara." I turned, and asked her if it was okay.

{Well… I guess so…}

"She's okay with the idea." Kiara jumped onto the table, and stood there, posing for Tracy. Several minutes later, he flipped around his sketchbook, and I held it next to Kiara. The book was large enough for a one-to-one scale picture of my Ralts. "Wow, Tracy, you are good. If I wasn't this close I'd actually have trouble telling it from the real thing." The picture was alive with detail; even her colors were represented on the page, Tracy having a set of colored pencils or something. "What do you think, Kiara?"

{It scares me… it's too lifelike.}

"Ha! She thinks it's a little too lifelike, Tracy. But it's great work." I handed the book back to him, and said, "Well, then we'd better finish our breakfast."

"Oh, okay then… say, do you want to have a Pokémon battle? I have nothing else to do." I turned to Kiara, who seemed interested in the idea, and started to wolf down her food.

"Sure. I'm just going to finish this omelet, and then I'll battle. Meet me outside in five minutes." He got up just as May walked downstairs.

"Hi, May." I aid as the last of my omelet went down my throat.

"Hello, what's up?"

"I got challenged to my first Pokémon battle. I'm headed there now."

May and I walked outside to the Pokémon field, where Tracy was talking to Nurse Joy. Apparently, she was going to be referee. "Let's do this one-on-one."

"Sure thing. I only have two Pokémon anyway." He threw out a Pokéball, and a Marill stood on the ground. I looked at Kiara, who seemed eager to battle.

"Kiara, on field!" I said. She jumped off of my shoulder, executing a back flip and landing on her feet.

"This will be a one-on-one battle with no substitutions!" Nurse Joy began, "Begin!"

"Marill, use aqua jet!" the small mouse Pokémon surged forward with water, closing in on Kiara.

"Dodge, and use confusion!" I shouted. Kiara didn't dodge however, getting hit straight on. She got back up, however, and hit the opponent with a psychic blast. "Confusion again!"

"Hydro Pump!" Tracy shouted. The Marill launched a torrent of water at Kiara, who ensnared it with her psychic attack. The water was launched back at the water mouse, knocking it over. "No! Get up, Marill!"

"Not so fast! Kiara, use confusion one more time!" The small psychic type picked up the mouse with her mind, and slammed the enemy to the ground. Spirals were easily visible in the opponent's eyes.

"Marill is unable to battle, and the winner is Kiara, and the victor is Zack!" Nurse Joy said. Kiara jumped up, and I caught her, celebrating our first victory. Tracy called his Pokémon back, and congratulated me on the win. He said farewell, and headed back into the Pokémon center as May and I walked onward to Route 302.

"You two did great!" May said.

"Thanks. I didn't know Kiara had it in her to fight like that."

{Well, if you live in your own in the wild, you have to know how to protect yourself.} said the Pokémon on my shoulder.

Later, it was dusk, and I didn't think we were even halfway to Petalburg. I stopped walking, to see May drop to her knees in exhaustion. "Oh, thank Arceus. Let's find a house or something to sleep in."

"A house? In the middle of a route? You have got to be kidding me. You do have a sleeping bag, right?"

"…No."

I threw one at her, grabbing a spare from my bag. "Then be glad I got two. We're sleeping here tonight."

"In the middle of the forest?"

"Where do you think? You think we are going to randomly stumble upon a five-star hotel? It's not that bad, sleeping outside. I've done it millions of times." She wasn't reassured as I set up camp, gathering some small stones and making a fire pit. I tossed a tinderbox I brought from home to May. "Try to start a fire while I'm out."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm getting some berries to eat. I know an Oran Patch not far from here." I walked away with Kiara. I wasn't lying; I wanted food. But I also wanted to talk to my Pokémon.

{What's up, Kiara? You seem a little off since the battle.}

{Nothing, Zack. I'm just excited for the start of our journey, that's all.} I heard a rustle in the leaves up ahead. {What's that?}

{I don't know, Kiara. Keep your eyes open.} the rustling got louder, coming closer. {Kiara, get in a fighting stance.} We walked through a bush, only to see an injured Riolu stumbling through the woods. Behind it were more rustles.

{Are you okay?} I asked the young fighting-type.

{No… Kirlia… three of them…} he collapsed, and I saw three psychic types walk into the clearing. All of them were a Kirlia, like the Riolu said. Kiara seemed scared of them.

{Oh, look, sisters,} the one in the front said. {Our long-lost sibling has come to play as well.}

{I'm not your sibling anymore, Richard!} Kiara shouted. {Mom and Dad kicked me out, and I found out it was for my own protection, not my color! You three are the reason I had to live my childhood alone!} she launched a confusion at the three, but they barely felt it as they moved closer.

{Was that supposed to hurt, sister? That was nothing! Watch this!} The lead Kirlia, Richard, hit Kiara with a psybeam attack, sending her flying towards a tree. I stepped in between them.

{What's going on here? Why are you attacking Kiara?}

{You actually got a name, little sis? I thought a freak like you would never be accepted anywhere!} I got extremely aggravated at that comment. I picked up the Kirlia who said it, and slammed him against a tree.

{You. Do not. Insult Kiara. In front of. Me.} I threw the frail Pokémon across the clearing, and grabbed Kiara and the Riolu. I found the campsite, and placed both small Pokémon on the ground by the fire.

"What happened?" May asked as I pulled a couple of potions out of my bag, spraying one on Kiara and two on the Riolu, just in case it was injured more than I thought.

"A bunch of Kirlia knocked out Kiara and this poor Riolu. I got away just in time."

"Torchic lit a fire, and found some Pecha berries for dinner. I hope the Pokémon are okay."

"Yeah… I guess we'll find out in the morning." May, Torchic and I ate the berries, and I called Eevee out to both eat and to keep watch during the night for the Kirlia. I promised him extra breakfast if he did. I did not have pleasant dreams that night.

(A/N: I've changed my mind, people. I'm headed for the gyms. Outdone, a lot, but it works and I can't figure out the battle tent idea well enough. If anyone wants to use that idea, just give me credit or something. Mention me in a footnote. And… *drum roll* I will update the story's picture with a trainer card representing me in the fiction, at the time of the most recent update. Of course, I will do so the day after an update, to prevent a spoiler. ~Nano)


	5. Family

Chapter 5  
Family

{Are you awake?} I asked the Riolu at dawn. It rolled over and yawned before wincing in pain.

{Yeah… I'm up… but I think I broke something…} he kept clutching his ribs, and I saw huge swell marks that had formed overnight. {Ow… hurts when I breathe… my name's Rex, by the way. What about you?}

{I'm Zack. Over there is Kiara, my first Pokémon companion, and May, the human girl who's still sleeping. I think your ribs might be broken.} Rex gingerly tried to stand, but immediately collapsed and screamed in pain. {You need medical attention. I'll take you to a Pokémon Center.}

{No, it's fine… I just need to find a healer…} he tried to stand up again, but fell and yelled extremely loud when his midsection fell on a rock. I quickly wrote a note to May, and gave it to Kiara to hold.

{When May wakes up, give that to her. It'll explain where I've gone and what I'm doing.} Kiara nodded, and I picked up Rex carefully, making sure to not injure him more than he already was. {I'm getting you help, Rex. Please try to understand.}

{I do… I just don't trust humans. One of them attacked me for no reason when I was younger.} I started to run west, towards Petalburg. I called Joshua out of his Pokéball, and he ran alongside me.

{What do you need?} he said.

{Just some protection in case those Kirlia show up again. Just defend me and Rex until we get to town.}

{Can do, Zack!} several Pokémon had that idea along the way, and one stubborn Poocheyna wouldn't let us pass until Joshua knocked him out. We eventually reached town, in the afternoon. I knocked the door to the Pokémon center wide open, knocking over a potted plant. Several trainers, still groggy from waking up, turned and stared at me.

"Oh, hello there, young trainer. What's the hurry?" Nurse Joy said. I placed Rex on the counter, showing him to the doctor.

"This is Rex. He's badly injured, and I think his ribs are broken."

"Oh, my. Chansey, come here, quick! It's a good thing you came here when you did. Is this your Pokémon?"

"No, he's wild. I named him Rex on the way here, since I do that with most Pokémon." I watched as Nurse Joy and Chansey wheeled Rex out of the room on a gurney, and into an operation room. The light above the door flashed on, and I sat at a table in the building, Joshua next to me. I got him a plate of Razz Berries, his favorite, to thank him for helping me.

It was late evening when May walked in. I motioned for her to walk over, and Kiara jumped off of her shoulder and onto mine. May sat across from me, and said, "How's the Riolu?"

"I don't know, May. He's been in the operation room since one o'clock." Nurse joy walked out of the room in question and the light turned off as soon as those words were said. I walked up to her, and asked, "How's Rex?"

"He will be fine. He just needs to stay here until his ribs fully heal. What happened to put him in such a condition?"

"Several Kirlia with bad attitudes attacked him. I stumbled upon this while Kiara, my Ralts, and I were looking for berries to eat. The three weren't afraid to attack me, either."

"I'll be sure to put out some warnings about them. Thank you for telling me about this." Nurse Joy walked off after I rented a room for the night. Kiara wanted to sleep like last time again, so I obliged. However, this Pokémon center didn't have a bathroom to change in. I decided to sleep in my shorts and shirt, but May didn't. She was hesitant about the subject.

"Don't worry, May." I said. "I won't look, if that's what you are worrying about. Go ahead and change." I covered my face with the blanket as Kiara snuggled close to me again, and I was soon asleep.

The next morning, I visited Rex in the hospital. {How are you doing?}

{Well enough. I take back what I said earlier. This human… Joy, right? She knows what she's doing. I feel better already.} he sat up, as if to prove it didn't hurt.

{I'm glad to hear it. Anyway, I have to ask you something.}

{What, Zack? You saved me, so I guess I have a debt to repay.}

{Would you like to accompany me on my journey? I could use a strong fighting type like you.}

{Sure thing. I'd be happy to.}Nurse Joy walked in several seconds later- she seemed to have a habit to pop up unexpectedly.

"I'm sorry, Zack, but you need to leave now. I need to give Rex medicine for his ribs." I walked out, waving bye to my new friend. I found my way outside, only to run into May. She was grooming Torchic on a bench.

"Hey, Zack." May said. "How's Rex?"

"He's got to stay there until he's healed. But he looks a lot better than last night."

"Oh, that's great! By the way, my dad lives here. Do you mind if we stop by real quick?"

"No problem, May. I read the posters in the Pokémon Center, and the gym here won't accept a challenger with less than four badges anyway."

"That's my dad for you. He doesn't like weak opponents." I put two and two together in my head, and figured out that Gym Leader Norman was May's dad. Cool, I'm traveling with the daughter of a well-renowned trainer. The two of us walked into the gym, where a young trainer I immediately recognized was battling Norman. His hat, hair, eyes, and Pikachu gave him away instantaneously. Norman looked over at us for a second.

"Pikachu, use thunderbolt!" Ash Ketchum yelled out. The lightning strike hit Norman's Vigoroth, and it fell over, dazed and out cold.

"Vigoroth is unable to battle, the winner is Pikachu!" the referee shouted. Apparently we had arrived during the middle of the battle.

"Hold for a second, Jeff. My daughter's here."

"Sure thing, Norman." The gym leader walked over to us, and hugged May tightly.

"May, how have you been? Do you have your Pokémon?" May recounted everything that happened to her in such a short time, and Norman turned to face me.

"I have to thank you for saving my daughter from that Ariados. And I think I know how, as well."

"How, sir?" I asked. I was wondering how a gym leader with so much respect could do.

"I'll ignore the 'four badges' rule for you. Of course, it'll be three-on-three, and I'll use my weaker Pokémon so you actually have a shot." I was stunned; I wasn't planning to be able to fight him until later in my journey… to get to face on of the stronger gyms so early in my journey, it just wasn't something to give up.

"I thank you, sir. But you have to postpone it for a while- my third Pokémon is in the hospital with broken ribs."

"I'm sorry to hear that. But I'm sure he'll make a fine recovery. Now, back to the battle at hand."

"About time!" Ash said. May and I wormed into the sideline seats, next to a man in his early thirties with black hair and a dark complexion.

"Hey, aren't you Brock, the Pewter City gym leader?" I asked.

"Yeah, I was. But I gave the job to my father, and I plan on becoming the world's best Pokémon breeder."

The three of us exchanged small talk while Norman's Slaking completely destroyed the rest of Ash's team.

(A/N: so, another week, another chapter. To those of you who were reading this expecting the battle tent idea, please don't be mad at me dropping it and going to the gyms like most trainers. I simply can't come up with enough different ideas for the tents, and it makes the story all the harder to write. Anyway, expect something completely crazy to happen while Rex is healing up and May and I are stuck in Petalburgh. Here's a hint: who keeps chasing Ash and Co. around? Yeah, them. ~Nano.)


	6. Triple Trouble

Chapter 6  
Prepare For Trouble… and Make It Triple

It was the third day after I arrived at Petalburg. Rex still needed time to heal, and I was running out of ways to pass the time. I decided to head to the beach just west of the town, and have some fun with my Pokémon. May was spending some time with her dad and apparently her brother, as I saw a young black-haired boy with them. Ash Ketchum, surprisingly, also wanted to spend the day at the small, unpopular shore.

"So, you're the famous Ash Ketchum, right?" I asked. Kiara was busy running around with Ash's Pikachu, while his Swellow flew lazily overhead.

"I wouldn't call myself famous, but yeah, I am." His Grovyle leaned against the rocks near the back of the beach, next to a sleeping Joshua.

"I saw how you performed in the Orange League. You could say I'm a big fan." Brock was sitting a little ways away, reading a book.

"A fan, huh? Well, how about a battle?"

"Sure thing, I'd be happy to." I turned to Kiara, who was buried upside-down in the sand. Apparently Swellow had fallen out of the air and landed on her. I couldn't blame the flying-type; it had gotten a little windy too fast for it to adjust. I walked over to my friend, and pulled her up and out of the sand, brushing her hair to get all of it out.

{You up for a battle?} I asked her. She was too dazed to answer. I put her down next to Brock. "She… err… was hit by Swellow."

"I'll see what I can do." He said. I walked over to Joshua, and repeated the same question to him.

{Sure. It'll be good practice for the gym, right?}

"I'm all set for a one on one fight, Ash. Kiara's knocked out and Rex needs time to heal."

"That's fine. Pikachu, you ready?" His Pikachu said {Yes!} excitedly, but I knew Ash couldn't understand it.

"I'll be referee." Brock said. "This will be a one on one match with no substitutions. Begin!"

"Pikachu, I choose you!"

"Joshua, on field!" I was the first to act, with Joshua landing a shadow ball on the enemy. My blood was pulsing- I was fighting my idol in a legitimate Pokémon battle.

"Pikachu, iron tail!" The attack only hit Joshua's tail, causing no harm to befall my friend. However, before I could act again, a smoke bomb dropped onto the field, obscuring everyone's vision.

"What the he-" I was cut off by a woman's voice.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!" A man's voice shouted.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! That's right!" A third voice, belonging to a Meowth, said. I couldn't tell if it was part of the ridiculous motto or not. I mean, I could come up with a better one than that.

"Ugh, what do you guys want?" Ash said, rather annoyed.

"Your Pikachu, of course!" Jessie shouted. Hey, they said their names in the motto. I think I can figure out who's who.

"Hey, wait. Jessie, do you see that over there?" Hush whispers were exchanged between the two, and they turned to face Kiara.

"That's not the right color for a Ralts…"

"Jessie, think of the Boss!" Meowth said. "If we give him a Pokémon that's an alternate color, he'll reward us with a fortune!"

"Hell no, you will not take Kiara. Joshua, use shadow ball." The attack was aimed accurately, and hit the meowth square in his chest, causing a mini explosion that knocked them on their behinds.

"What was that for, kid?" James said.

"Yeah, were you trying to hurt us?" Jessie added.

"Yeah, that was the general idea. Now, don't go after Kiara, or even threaten to take any of the Pokémon here, or I'll attack you myself."

"And just how are you supposed to hurt us, kid? We're big, bad villains. Little kids like you can't hurt us." They really ticked me off that time.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT THEY CAN'T MEASURE UP TO A MACHOP?!" Alright, so I might've overreacted to that. I'm very sensitive about my height… I'm probably 4'10", or something like that. I haven't hit my growth spurts yet… or at least, that's what I'm telling myself.

"Uhh… they didn't say that, Zack…" Ash said.

"I DON'T CARE! THEY WILL PAY FOR INSULTING ME!" I also have some… anger management issues, but only when I'm trying to calm down. It takes a lot to anger me, so if you get there, you deserve it. I pulled out my switchblade, causing the trio of idiots to run (at warp speed, mind you; I don't even think a quick attack is that fast) away.

"Team Rocket's running away again!" they shouted as they headed into the forest north of the beach. I sat on the ground, mumbling angrily at myself, trying to calm down. The knife was put back into my back pocket.

"Are… are you okay..?" Brock asked. Kiara huddled close to me, hugging my side.

"…Yeah, just give me a minute…" He left as i continued to mumble angry thoughts to myself.

Kiara was building sand castles with confusion, while Joshua was performing his best attempt at rest. I was still sitting on the ground, cooling off. A couple of hours later, Kiara, Joshua, and I went back to the Pokémon center. May greeted me as I made my way there. "Hey, Zack. Where are you going?"

"Just back to the Pokémon center for some food."

"That's not going to work, you see. My dad wants you to stay with us, since you are such a good friend of mine."

I didn't register half of what she said, but I did catch "Stay with us," and "friend of mine." I nodded out of fatigue, and May led me to a small building behind the gym.

I had a lovely dinner of boiled potatoes and Tauros Prime Rib, with a collection of Oddish and Bayleaf greens for a side. Dessert was a few berries, particularly Pecha. My opponent, Norman, was a great cook in addition to being a powerful trainer. May's little brother Max was kind of annoying, and trouble in himself. I learned that he wanted to travel with his older sister, and I agreed to let him join. As long as I can avoid the trouble he's bound to get us in, I'll be fine.

I fell asleep that night dreaming of ways to find those three, Team Rocket, and give them a piece of my mind. Kiara wanted to sleep outside that night.

(A/N: well, another chapter down. The short thing, well, I think I'm watching a little too much Fullmetal Alchemist. Funny as it is, I decided to put the joke in. Expect the first Gym battle next chapter, as well as development of an actual plot other that gym battles in that one or the next. ~Nano.)


	7. Balance Is Key

Chapter 7  
Balance is Key

Several days passed after the Team Rocket incident, and my days were mostly spent at that same beach, playing with Kiara and letting Joshua sleep the day away. I know I should have been training, but it was just so fun to hang out with my Pokémon and May, who also let Torchic out to play. I later walked into the Pokémon Center, and up to the front counter. "Is Rex okay?" I asked Nurse Joy.

"Oh, he's fine. In fact, his treatment should be done. Chansey, could you please go get him?" She said to her Pokémon partner, a large, pink, egg-shaped creature. It ran off merrily, and Rex was wheeled out on a gurney several minutes later. He seemed happy, and Joy inspected his chest one last time. "Seems to be all healed up! I give you a clean bill of health, Rex!"

I asked him how he felt. In response, the small fighting type said, {I feel great. Better than new.}

{Think you could challenge the gym?} I asked as I walked away from the counter, him on my shoulder. Kiara and Joshua were still at the beach with May and her brother, Max.

{Sure. But… I do need to get in one of those capture devices in order to be entered, right?} He had a point. I fished around in my bag, looking for a Pokéball. My face was blank when I realized I didn't have any- the Ariados off of route 201 took care of that, as well as my first bag. {You do have one, right?}

{Uhh… just… no, I don't.} I said. Rex slapped his face with his hand. One quick trip to the store later, and Rex was safely registered in something called a quick ball. I also bought a variety of other Pokéballs, so no more instances like this will happen. I scanned Rex with the Pokédex, to get the following information:

_Riolu, the Emanation Pokémon. When sad or scared, Riolu's aura becomes stronger as a way of signaling its allies. _I learned that Rex had more moves available to him than my other partners: he knew double team, bullet punch, leer, sky uppercut, and aura sphere.

I contacted May via X-transceiver, although only audio could be heard due to her just having a normal Poké-gear. In minutes, me and my three new friends (well, I can't say Joshua is new; I've known him since he hatched) walked into the Gym to challenge Norman. "I accept your challenge." He simply stated, as he gestured towards the opposite side of the arena. I took my place, as Kiara, Joshua and Rex took positions behind me. May and Max sat in the stands to watch. I overheard them debating over who would cheer for who.

"This will be a three-on-three battle. Only the challenger can make substitutions. Begin!" the referee shouted.

"Kiara, on field!" I chose Kiara to go first for the sole reason that she was my starter; my first Gym battle should be fought with her at the front.

"Slackoth, come on out!" Norman said. "I'll let you have the first move."

"Kiara, use confusion, and don't stop your attack!" I said. Cheap strategy, but confusion was the only attack move she knew. She picked up the Slackoth, but after it hit the ground, it seemed to have done nothing.

"Quick attack." Norman said. The Slackoth- who I thought was true to its name- moved with unbelievable speed and knocked Kiara out of bounds and against the wall. Before the referee could call her out of the count, I switched her out.

"Joshua, get out there!" My Eevee friend jumped out onto the field while Rex pulled an almost-unconscious Kiara back to ready position. "Use tackle!" My friend head-butted the enemy, and it lazily flopped over, scratching its belly. Really? It was that lazy? A few more tackles from Joshua, and it fell down for good.

"Slackoth is unable to battle, and the winner is Joshua!" Norman followed by sending out a skitty, and it meowed cutely upon release. I heard May squeal in delight at the sheer cuteness.

"Joshua, you up for another round, or do you want to rest?" He shook his head, apparently having too much adrenaline to quit. "Alright, then. Tackle again!"

"Use me first, skitty!" The small cat tapped Joshua on the head, and then tackled him before he could act. Joshua fell, but got up a couple of seconds later. He started to charge a shadow ball, but before I could warn against it, he launched it.

{What? How did that not do anything?} he asked. Rex and I both slapped our heads.

"Joshua, ghost type attacks can't hurt normal types." I could almost see the sweatdrop fall from his head.

{Heh, heh… I knew that…} The skitty then used scratch, and Joshua was down and out, which the ref then had to announce. I called him back to his Pokéball.

"You did a good job, friend." I looked at both of my other Pokémon. Kiara passed out, probably from getting hit so hard. I called her back as well. "Well, Rex, it's up to you. Think you could do it?"

{Hell yeah! I've been dying to get back into action!} He jumped onto the field, and assumed a battle stance.

"Double slap!" Norman shouted.

"Dodge and use sky uppercut!" Rex back-flipped over the skitty's tail, and punched the poor thing straight into the ceiling. "Holy Arceus! I didn't know you were that strong, Rex!"

{What? I thought you knew!}

"It's hard to believe you were beaten up by those kirlia."

{Hey! They had a type advantage, and they were evolved. Give me a break.} The skitty fell, and sensing an opportunity, I had Rex use bullet punch on the poor thing. It fainted before it hit the ground.

"Skitty is unable to battle, and the winner is Rex!"

"Don't think this is over, trainer! Go, Slaking, crush him!" The Pokéball thrown out released a large, ape-like Pokémon, and I scanned it with the Pokédex:

_ Slaking, the Lazy Pokémon. Slaking lives most of its life asleep, eating only grasses that grow within its reach. _I didn't think it would be much of an opponent, due to its ability of truant- it would ignore orders now and then. But then I saw its stats.

"Uhh, Norman… I thought you said you would use your weaker Pokémon!"

"I want to give you a challenge! Rex was able to take out skitty in one hit! Let's see just how good he is!"

Alright, I'll play his game. "Rex, use bullet punch!" the small dog-like Pokémon attacked, but it literally bounced off of slaking's fat.

"Use giga impact!" The ape slammed into Rex at a speed I thought would be impossible to perform at his size, and my Riolu friend was slammed across the arena, and not into, but _through _the wall.

"Rex! Are you okay?"

{Yeah… I'm just… ow, no, that's broken…}

"Can you fight?"

{I'll… I'll try.} He limped out of the hole in the wall, making sure to not step too hard on his left leg. {But I don't think I can take another hit…}

"Slaking, use yawn!" the Pokémon simply did what the move implied, and Rex started to drop his eyelids…

"No, stay awake- use aura sphere!" Rex, with his last few moments of being awake, charged up a sphere of bluish energy. When it reached half his size, he released the energy and it struck the enemy straight on. Both Pokémon fell, out cold, at the same time.

"Both Pokémon are unable to battle, this battle is a draw. There is no victor." The referee said.

"Tough luck, Zack. But for someone to take out slaking, that's great all its own. Unfortunately, rules are rules. You don't win, you don't get a badge." Norman said. May and Max stopped cheering from the sides- well, they were more worried than excited during Rex's battle with slaking.

But then, I remembered something. "I did win, Norman."

"How? The last battle was a draw."

"Yeah, but Kiara is still able to battle." I called her out to prove the point. She was unsteady on her feet, obviously still dazed. "A little discombobulated, but still able to fight."

{I… I can hear… purple…} she said. I ignored her, and called her back. No sense in Kiara hurting herself somehow.

"Well, in that case, I guess I was beat. Here's your commemorative badge, the Balance Bade of Hoenn!" Norman held out the badge, shaped like a dumbbell. I eagerly accepted it, but before I could pin it inside my head,

"Ugh… what's ahh…" The world flashed red. "What's going…" I had a dizzy spell, and passed out.

{}{}{}

_A building in a small city. Out of the third floor window, a kirlia fell out into the air. She screamed, a piercing scream that sounded oddly familiar. A hand reached out of the window, clad in a black jacket. The vision ended as I recognized the kirlia._

_ It was Kiara._

{}{}{}

(A/N: So, my first Gym battle. And I won it by a fluke. Yay. Thanks to the people who have posted reviews, and I do have to ask a favor. One or more anon people have posted their oc submissions as a review. I please ask that people do not do this in the future: it clogs up the review page, which should only be for what it is named for. I also have another bit of news: I'm debating if it's worth my time to convert my story to a sprite series, as one of my friends has suggested to me. I'd still write the chapters, but that would be there too. Also, how about that dizzy spell? Didn't see that coming, now did you? I'll explain what it is later on, and if you know, please don't spoil it with a review. Lastly, sorry for a long author's note: I needed to tell you guys some things, and this was the easiest way to do so. ~Nano)


	8. Way to Rustboro

Chapter 8  
On the Way to Rustboro…

I exited the dream as suddenly as it happened. May and Norman were hovering above me, trying to help. "Are you okay?" May asked.

"Yeah, just a dizzy spell… I'm fine." I started to get up, a little shaky at first, but May grabbed my arm to steady me. "I'm fine, May. Just- just let me walk a bit." She nodded, and I wandered to the Pokémon Center to get Kiara, Rex, and Joshua healed. Especially Kiara- I'm not sure if her head is one hundred percent okay. She was still hearing colors and tasting sounds when she was wheeled out on a gurney with the others. I flopped into a booth in the main lobby to both wait and make sense of what I saw.

The kirlia was definitely Kiara, after she evolved. I knew that because it was my hand that reached out to try to catch her. I fingered the Balance badge, wondering if holding it again would trigger the same reaction, but of course it was a one-time deal. I bought lunch for myself, consisting of deerling venison and assorted other Pokémon puns. May said nothing as she and her brother slid in the booth across from me.

"It's alright; you guys can talk to me. I'm fine, really."

"You're a strong trainer, Zack. Not many people can beat our dad's slaking, especially with an un-evolved Pokémon." Max said. His small, almost squeaky voice hurt my ears slightly.

"Thanks for the compliment. Although, I don't really think you could call it strength."

"Why not?" May asked.

"Did I really use any strength? No, I believe the role of the trainer is just that. I train the Pokémon, and strategize the way they battle. I don't actually fight."

"That's a strange way to put it, Zack."

"I'm kind of a strange guy, then." I realized what I said a little after May and Max looked at me weird. "You know what I meant."

A few days passed, and I eventually had to bid farewell to Norman and Petalburg. Max, May, Kiara and I walked towards the water, intending to spend one last day relaxing at the beach. Joshua and May leaned up against the rocks by the route, while Max, Kiara, and Torchic tried to make sand castles. Rex grabbed a piece of driftwood and used it as a makeshift surfboard. I wandered up the beach, aimlessly walking and thinking about that vision.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" an angry voice yelled at me. I shook my head to get the vision out of my mind, and found I had accidentally knocked over the cooler next to a fisherman. His cans of beer and the ice inside spilled everywhere.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see-"

"How could you not see it? Someone of your stature, you were almost the same height as the thing, you little runt!" Oh, he's gonna get it now.

"WHO'RE YOU SAYING IS SO SHORT THEY DON'T COME UP KNEE-HIGH TO A DURANT?!"

"Calm down you little-"

"SHUT UP YOU SON OF AN ABSOL!"

"Who are you calling that, you tiny-"

(Several minutes and more rude sayings later)

"Let's settle this with a battle, you spiller of beverages!"

"I accept your challenge, you caller of names!" I angrily walked back to the part of the beach everyone else was at. "Kiara! Rex! Joshua! Someone's challenged us to a battle, let's go!"

{Who, boss?} Rex asked. For some reason, he's developed a habit of calling me that since the Gym.

{A fisherman who insulted me several times over.} I replied angrily. The fisherman was waiting, Pokéball in hand. "Joshua, you go first." My eevee friend jumped forward, as the opponent threw out a-

"Magikarp, let's do this!" He shouted. A red fish-like Pokémon flopped out, and laid almost motionless against the sand. My Pokédex identified it instantly for me.

_"Magikarp is a pathetic excuse for a Pokémon that is only capable of flopping and splashing. This behavior prompted scientists to undertake research into it. It is virtually worthless in terms of both power and speed." _Really? This is my opponent?

"Joshua, use… tackle." My friend did so, and the fish stopped its occasional flopping and laid still. I guess that was considered "unable to battle."

"You may have defeated my Magikarp, but how will you fare against my next one!" True to his word, another pitiful fish flopped out.

"Joshua… tackle again." That one went down, as well as two more. "Ugh, another one? Seriously, can you just say I won? I don't want Joshua to hurt another one of them…"

"Then switch to another Pokémon, there's no running from a trainer battle!" He sent out another fish.

"Rex, use aura sphere." He did the same, and the Magikarp was hurled through the air, landing next to the water on the beach. The fisherman's last Pokémon turned out to be one last fish. "Rex, don't even use a move. Just punt the poor thing."

{Aye aye, Boss.} Rex wound up his leg, and kicked the Magikarp far across the area, landing it in some bushes a distance behind the beach.

"Damn, that's got to be some kind of record."

{Well, I guess so. I mean, how far was that?}

"At least thirty yards. Man, and I thought this would actually be-" I was cut off by a flash of white light from behind the bushes. Next thing I knew, a large, blue, and angry-looking Pokémon was screaming in my face.

"…Difficult."

{Holy Arceus! What is that thing?} Rex shouted. Joshua… appeared to have fallen asleep, and Kiara was petrified. I shakily pulled out the Pokédex.

_Gyarados, the evolved form of Magikarp. Rarely seen in the wild. Huge and vicious, it is capable of destroying entire cities in a rage. Can fire a Hyper Beam from its mouth. When Magikarp evolves into Gyarados, its brain cells undergo a structural transformation. It is said that this transformation is to blame for this Pokémon's wildly violent nature. _I was scared.

"Gyarados, use hyper beam!" the resulting blast knocked Rex into the side of the rock wall near May, who jumped up in surprise. It also managed to catch Joshua, who made an eevee-shaped hole in the wall, next to the riolu-shaped one.

Quickly thinking, I said, "Kiara, use confusion!" the psychic blast hit the monster straight on, knocking it on his back. Then Kiara did something unexpected. She threw her arms to her sides, and several leaves coated in an aura of pink flew out at the Gyarados. It fell over again, and was out for the count.

"No! Even when you evolve you lose! No!" The fisherman ran away in defeat. However, he neglected to pick up his wallet, from which I took four-thousand Poké.

"He won't miss it." I said to Kiara. That night was spent under the stars, in a thicket of trees near the Petalburg Woods. That would be an obstacle for tomorrow.

(A/N: she could beat it because it was newly-evolved and still had the crap stats of a Magikarp. Deal with it.)


	9. Petalburg Woods

Chapter 9  
The Petalburg Woods

After the event with the fisherman, May, Max and I headed through the only route to Rustboro. It led to a giant forest, one I knew rather well from travelling with my dad. "Are you sure you know your way through this place?" May asked.

"Yeah, I know this forest like the back of my hand. Just as long nothing too extreme has happened to it in the past year or so, I'll be fine with directions." That was probably the best example of me being completely wrong you'll ever hear. We got lost about three minutes in. "I… I know this, guys… trust me, please…"

I didn't hear any muttering behind me then, but I would later learn about the following conversation. "May, do you really think he knows this place?"

"Max, I think he was just trying to show off. Now he's just making a fool of himself."

"Agreed, sis." Night was falling fast, so I tried to find a safe place to set up camp for us. "Hey, what about that clearing over there?"

"Nice job, Max. That's a great spot to set up camp." We made the usual routine, setting up May's tent (she refused to sleep out in the open.) and rolling out sleeping bags for Max and I. Max, meanwhile, started up a fire so we could cook a moderate dinner. I opened up his pack, and pulled out various spices and ingredients to make soup. While it was cooking…

"EEK! What is that thing?" May screamed. I looked over and saw a small Pokémon about a foot long. It was pinkish-purple in color. She grabbed my Pokédex from my bag and aimed it at the creature.

_"Using the spikes on its rear end, Wurmple peels the bark off trees and feeds on the sap that oozes out. This Pokémon's feet are tipped with suction pads that allow it to cling to glass without slipping. Often targeted by bird Pokémon, it desperately resists by releasing poison from its tail spikes."_

"It's. So. Cute! I have to catch it!" May screamed, reaching for Torchic's Pokéball. The small bird popped out, and the Wurmple shuddered in fear. "Use peck!"

Torchic lunged at the insect, intending to jab at it with its beak. The bug was hit, and it flew over towards me. It got up, saying {What the heck? I just wanted some soup!} and launched a string shot at May's chicken. The bird dodged, and pecked again under May's order. My friend threw a Pokéball at the Wurmple, and it was sucked inside. The ball released three stars, signifying the Pokémon was caught.

Max and I were utterly confused at what just happened. One second, we were ready to eat, the next we needed to re-set up camp. Wurmple, after we assured her she'd get soup, seemed happy to be joining us. We ate in peace, mostly, everyone enjoying the thin mixture of water, rosemary, and potatoes. I threw in some MooMoo milk just to thicken it a little.

I slid into my sleeping bag not long after, eager to get some rest. I found a little discomfort, and spotted a small stone underneath the place where my head was. I tossed it aside, and felt another dizzy spell coming on. The world, dark as it was, went pitch black.

_There was no image this time. Just one voice, one line. "Dinner, me found you!"_

Bolting upright, in a cold sweat, I tried to make sense of what I heard. Looking around, I saw only the smoldering remains of the campfire. Max was sound asleep next to me, and I heard nothing but gentle snoring coming from May's tent. Kiara and Rex had insisted on sleeping outside of their Pokéballs, Rex being used to sleeping outside and Kiara wanting to sleep near me. I settled back down, and tried to sleep.

I just closed my eyes when there was a piercing scream, and May's tent was toppled over sideways. Max woke up, and struggled to get out of his blankets. I was standing up, Rex and Kiara both awake to see what happened. May ran out the side of her tent, in her nightdress. A string shot latched onto her, and reeled her in. it also caught Kiara, who was dragged in next to her.

{Dinner! Me found you!} I heard. It was the same voice as my vision. It was also very familiar. I followed the string, which Max was trying to break, and saw an Ariados sitting near a tree. {Me eat you now!}

"Ariados, let them go!" I yelled. "Rex, use bullet punch!" He did so, but the spider twirled around, flinging May and Kiara onto his back. "Aura sphere!" I yelled, while the two of us were running after him. The ball of blue light hit the spider Pokémon, only to sent him and his victims flying away.

{That wasn't too bright, Boss.}

{Shut up, Rex. And if you thought that, why did you still do it?}

{Because I thought it was a good idea too until about five seconds ago.}

(Transition, Kiara's point of view.)

Holy Arceus, it's the same Ariados from before! I struggled when we landed, hoping that the silky web was weakened. It loosened, and I fell out, ready to get May. She was still on the thing's back. {Dinner, me eat you here.} It flopped May off, and was ready to sink his fangs into the screaming human. I used confusion, hitting the bug into the air. I knew it wouldn't do much but it bought me enough time to free May using magical leaf. We ran like crazy.

Ariados used a shot of web to nab May again, but I was too quick with my attacks. I let May run on ahead; I would Hold Ariados off long enough for her to get to Zack, and therefore, help. {You free dinner? Why you free dinner?}

{Because I'm her friend. And I don't talk like a crazy Pokémon.} That seemed to enrage him. I launched magical leaf, but his swift attack knocked it out of the air, hitting into me. I was flung against a tree, and man, did that hurt like crazy! He was about to bite into me, but something strange happened. He was flown off of me, and I saw him scurry off before the world turned white.

I woke up after dawn, a few hours before noon, if I was correct. I picked myself up, noticing I was a bit higher up off the ground than before. I must have hit a growth spurt or something; Pokémon can grow just like a human over time. I wandered for hours, trying to find Zack, May, anyone that could help. Instead, I found an exit to the forest, different from the way we came in. Since Zack mentioned there were only two entrances here, I plopped down against a tree, waiting for him to get there.

(Transition; the night before, my perspective.)

May came running up to me, as I was running in the direction she came from. "It's the Ariados that almost ate me, Zack! I saw it and Kiara running in the opposite direction from here!"

"Where are they now?"

"They have to be by the exit to the forest, Zack! Let's go help her!" I ran with May; Joshua, Torchic, Wurmple, and Max caught up. Apparently, they packed up camp and carried everything out here. I grabbed my bag and ran, having slept (somewhat) in the clothes I wore during the day. May grabbed hers, and excused herself behind a tree to change. She and Max found me several minutes later, punching my hand against a tree by the exit.

"She's not here, May. But I know Kiara, she's more comfortable near civilization. She probably headed to Rustboro, and the Pokémon Center there." We reached the edge of Rustboro by sunrise.

(A/N: This chapter was fun to write, and May's team will be like the anime, hence the new addition to the growing team. Sorry for ending the last chapter rather quickly. I was pressed for time, with studying for school and the PSAT test. *Gets hate mail based on my life interfering with the story* I just can't please everyone, can't I? Well, I have a life, damn it! Screw you; I'm gonna go make a sandwich. With ham. And cheese. ~Nano)


	10. Rescue

Chapter 10  
Rescue

I searched around town for hours. Nothing. May convinced me to go to the police station for help, so I went there while she and Max got a room at the Pokémon Center. "Officer Jenny!" I shouted. The woman in question walked out of a back room, in full uniform.

"What's the trouble?" She asked. I've met her before- the Officer Jenny of Rustboro was always quick and to the point.

"I have a missing Pokémon. A ralts, with an alternate color. She's been missing ever since we got caught up with an angry Ariados in the forest."

"I'll put out a watch. You just sit tight and wait. That's all I can say for now, sorry." She walked out a back door, and I heard a motorcycle roar into life.

I walked out myself, and continued to look around town. Kiara, I hope you're safe.

(Perspective switch- Kiara, while the above is going on.)

Huh? How long was I asleep? I must have nodded off; it's now sunhigh. Zack must be looking for me in the woods. He wouldn't leave me behind. I walked back into the forest, hoping to locate him, or at least May or Max. This would be so much easier if I was a flying-type.

As I was walking around, I heard a familiar voice. {Hello, sister.} I turned around. My brother was standing right there, along with one of my sisters. {Long time no see. And just look at how much you've grown!}

{Grown? What are you talking about?} I responded.

{My, my. I knew you were stupid, sister,} I growled in anger at the comment, {But I've never seen a Pokémon that was unaware they evolved.}

{Wha-} I looked down. Instead of my usual dress I wore, I had on a kind of tutu, and my legs had turned blue, like my hair. Feeling on top of my head, I also found my horns in a new position, and I noticed now, like before, that it was slightly easier to see. I had evolved into a kirlia.

{And for that ignorance, let's show her some punishment, okay, Briana?} My brother asked to my sister next to him.

{Sure thing, Allen.} They both launched psybeam attacks at me, hitting my frail body rather hard. I went flying, hitting a tree and hearing a sickening crack as I did. I couldn't feel my left leg.

{Now, let's give her one more hit, just so she remembers us next time, alright, sis?} Both siblings charged up another psybeam, but they were both hit by a shadow ball before they could finish.

"Now, I wonder who in their right minds would hurt an injured opponent, let alone a nestmate. I was considering joining in sooner, but then you had to go and attack her." A female voice said. I looked around, but couldn't find its source.

{Who are you? Show yourself!} Allen said.

A large body of white fur leaped down from the tree above me, landing gracefully on four paws. "Now, will you leave this poor kirlia alone?"

{Y-Yes, ma'am…} Allen shakily said, frantically nodding as he did. If he was scared of her, then I'm glad she's on my side.

"Then run, puny weakling. And don't cross into my territory again." I saw my siblings run away, scared for their lives. "Now, you," the stranger said, turning to me, "What's your name? Write it in the dirt."

I wondered why, but decided to go with what she said anyway. I scratched out K-I-A-R-A into the ground.

"Kiara? Nice name. I'm Pandora. Are you wild?" I shook my head. "I saw a trainer leave the forest earlier, in a hurry. He had green hair; is he your trainer?" I nodded.

"Then climb on." Pandora crouched low to the ground, and I hauled myself onto her back, my leg sticking off at an awkward angle.

(Perspective change again- me, at dusk)

I slowly ate my burger that night. Rex and Joshua also ate in relative silence and sadness. We lost our friend today. May and Max were already asleep by the time I went into our room. I flopped onto a bed, not even bothering to put my Pikachu pajamas on.

I woke up around midnight, to a tapping on the window. A Pokémon, with white fur and bluish-black claws and sickle-shaped tail was on the windowsill. A horn growing from the side of her head curved upwards, and I knew it to be an Absol. Just to make sure, I pulled out Mr. Pokédex.

_ "Absol, the Disaster Pokémon. Absol live in steep mountainous regions, and rarely venture down into areas inhabited by humans, but should an Absol be seen by humans, it is said that catastrophe is soon to follow. __Its life span is over a hundred years."_

I opened the window, but before I could say anything, the Pokémon said, "Follow me." I jumped out the window with it, and the strange Pokémon led me to the far end of Rustboro, near the route leading to Petalburg Woods. I took a sharp left, and I followed it into a thicket of trees.

{Where are you leading me?} I asked. The Absol looked at me weirdly for a moment, then continued on. Inside the thicket, I saw a hunched-over shape. It was a Kirlia, with a different color pattern. Its leg was broken, that much was obvious. {Kiara..?} I asked, not expecting it to answer how it did.

The Pokémon's eyes fluttered open, and she said {Zack..? Pandora found you?}

{If you mean that Absol, then yes.} I looked around for a second. {Where'd she go? I wanted to thank her. Oh, well. Let's get you to the Pokémon Center, shall we?} I said, scooping up Kiara in my arms. I'll ask her what happened later; for now, I simply rejoiced in my head, thanking Arceus that she wasn't lost. Forever.

(A/N: Another week, another chapter. Well, two weeks. Hurricane Sandy knocked out my internet for five days, so no updates for anything last week. Also, for those reading the story "Ashes to Ashes," that story is now on hiatus- I lost the files on my computer dedicated to that story, and I can't work on it until I find them. In other news, happy (late) Halloween! ~Nano)


	11. VS Roxanne! Winning by a Nosepass!

Chapter 11  
VS Roxanne! Winning by a Nosepass!

Kiara had her leg healed completely after a few days in the Pokémon center's infirmary. May spent her time in the Pokémon School, learning about a battle stlye called "contests." She seemed really into it, and she made Torchic and Wurmple practice their attacks, trying to make them as… cute as possible. I couldn't understand how that was efficient in battle, but everyone had the right to their own likes.

I retrieved Kiara early on the morning on the fifth day since I found her. She seemed tense about the subject when I asked what happened to her, so I dropped the subject entirely. It was then time to challenge the local gym. "Now, Zack, do you have an actual strategy for beating Roxanne?" May asked.

"Of course I do, why doubt. I won against your dad, didn't I?"

"Zack, that was a fluke. A small victory, at most. You know it." Max piped in. I almost swatted him over the head for saying I had a 'small' victory, but I didn't because May was around. I didn't want to face her wrath if I did something to anger her.

"What is it, then?" May asked.

"You'll see soon enough, I promise." I said as we walked into the main building of the gym. Inside was a large arena, largely built of stone and masonry. A few boulders were strewn around the arena, to emphasize the rock theme. A young woman, probably only three or four years older than me, was standing near the far side of the wall, chatting with a referee. She had long, brown hair, and wore a uniform common among the students at the school, a navy blue shirt with matching skirt. A red bow was pinned to her chest, on a white undershirt that covered where the blue one did not. She also had a red ribbon or two in her hair.

"…it's done, right? The field is all set for a battle?" She asked the ref.

"Yup, all up to code, Miss Roxanne. And it looks like you have a challenger already!" He responded. He took a position near the center of the field, opposite the stands.

"Hello, challenger!" Roxanne said, as if the conversation she had was hours old. "I'm Roxanne, the Rustboro gym leader! I suspect you'd want to start immediately, right?"

"You bet! My name's Zack, and I'm ready if you are!" The ref shouted out the normal battle regulations; three on three, only the challenger can make substitutions, blah, blah, blah. "Rex, on field!" I said, throwing the corresponding Pokéball out onto the field. The young riolu stood up in a pose some would call heroic, or as other like May would-

"That is so adorable, Max! Just look at how Rex is standing!" The Pokémon in question stood normally, although I did see red flash his cheeks from embarrassment.

"Enough posing, Zack! Geodude, I choose you!" Roxanne said, throwing out the mentioned Pokémon. Its spherical body hovered off the ground a few feet, giving it mobility. Honestly, everybody knew what a Geodude is. I don't think I'd need the Pokédex on this one. "Use rock throw!"

"Dodge, and launch an aura sphere!" Rex gracefully jumped, and landed on the attack he was supposed to dodge. He formed the aura sphere around the rock, and launched both at our foe. Two attacks in one, and it was super-effective, too. It was no surprise when the Geodude had enough and went down after that hit; I could tell it had a poor defensive capability; ironic, for most rock-types.

"Go, Sandslash!" Roxanne said. A tan-colored Pokémon popped out, with a dark brown coloration for its back spines.

"Rex, use force palm!" My friend launched himself at the enemy, getting closer and closer until…

"Protect!" Roxanne commanded. A green energy field surrounded the Sandslash, protecting it and sending Rex reeling. "Dig!"

The opponent dug a small hole rather quickly, and climbed under the arena. "Rex, watch out." Then I realized something… what if I tried something drastic, something I've only seen work for a certain trainer with a Pikachu? "Rex, use aura sphere, and aim it down the hole!" An explosion was heard shortly after he did this, and the ground type was blasted out of the arena floor, skyward. However, bad luck hung in the air, and it landed on Rex in an impromptu body slam. Both were out for the count.

"You did great buddy. It was just bad luck, that's all." I pulled a luxury ball out of the small leather box on my hip. "Kiara, on field!" The kirlia front-flipped out of her Pokéball, landing in a perfect battle pose.

"Nosepass, come on out!" Roxanne shouted. What looked like a rock idol with a large red nose stood motionless on the field. I pulled out the Pokédex, this one being new to me.

_ "Nosepass, the Compass Pokémon. Its nose can point to the north like a compass needle. When endangered, it may protect itself by raising its magnetism and drawing iron objects to its body." _Iron, eh? Lucky for me there is none of that here. "Kiara, use magical leaf!"

She pulled the psychic leaves from thin air, and launched them at the foe. It barely moved, let alone seemed to feel any damage. "Nosepass, use shadow ball!" The attack came fast, and Kara had no time to react. She was hit, but flipped onto a rock, panting for air.

{That thing's tough, Zack. I don't know if I can beat it…}

{Just hold on as long as you can. You've got the only move left that's effective against that. Joshua can't win this fight.} I switched tongues, before anyone noticed my language shift. "Use confusion!"

The enemy was launched into the air, and slammed into the ground. It just stayed on its side, but still seemed ready for battle. "Rock slide!" Roxanne said.

"Kiara, hold your ground!" I said. An audible gasp could be heard from May, Max, and the few others who had gathered to watch a gym battle. "Hold it, hold it…" I said. I had one chance. One chance to time this right. When the rocks were five feet from hitting her, I shouted, "Confusion! Grab the rocks!"

Kiara had grabbed them all right, but instead of having them encased in the pink aura of psychic power, they were consumed by a more purple one. I would later learn she had used ancient power, but for now I thought everything went according to plan. The Nosepass was hit by its own attack, and Kiara added in another magical leaf on her own.

"Nosepass is unable to battle, the winner is Kiara. The Victory goes to Zack, of Littleroot Town!" The ref shouted. Kiara jumped into my arms, hugging me after a well-fought battle. I returned the embrace, glad that she wasn't hurt much.

A little while later, Roxanne presented me with the stone badge. I clipped it on the inside of my jacket next to the balance badge. I felt pride swell my chest as Rex and Kiara followed May, Max and I back to the Pokémon Center for a well-earned meal. Joshua was upset that I didn't use him in the battle, but was happy for the win nonetheless.

(Perspective change- A Pokémon nearby)

Hmm… maybe he is a better trainer than most, and the fact he spoke the Pokémon language… even though I only got the idea of what he said, I'm still certain this gift can help me in my own quest…

(A/N: One more badge under my belt, or in my jacket, whatever. More drama to come, and more comedy to follow that. May will start her contests soon, and Max will be an annoying {says multiple expletives in Pokémon language so I don't have to censor} like in the anime. See you next time! ~Nano.)


	12. Shadow Walker

Chapter 12  
Shadow Walker

"Sorry, kids, but you can't pass through here." The worker said to us. We had gone east of Rustboro, hoping to cross through the Rusturf Tunnel, to get to Verdanturf Town. "A major landslide has occurred in the tunnel, making it almost impossible to navigate."

"How bad could it be? Besides, we really need to get to Verdanturf Town as soon as possible." May said. She had learned of Pokémon contests while in Rustboro, and seemed to be interested in them. The closest one was on the other side of the tunnel.

"It's really bad. We can't get through to the other side, and I doubt you can, either. Now, go back, and get a ferry to take you to Slateport." He refused to let us any further, and so we had to turn back.

"But if we have to go to Slateport, I won't get to go to the contest!" May complained as we headed back to Rustboro. "I mean, it seems like it would have been fun to be part of, if I could be there on time…"

"Cheer up, sis. This schedule says there's another contest in Slateport, a week after the Verdanturf one. We can go to that one." Max said, trying to be helpful.

I set up camp that night. We weren't that far from the tunnel still, since May had a run-in with a skitty ("It's sooooooo cute!") she eventually caught. Our new addition made cute purring noises as she curled up in May's tent. Rex and Joshua were contently asleep in their Pokéballs, but Kiara still wanted to sleep near me. I had to get a larger sleeping bag for her, though. As a Kirlia, she had outgrown the smaller one she had before. Max curled up in another few blankets, and passed out almost immediately before I did.

(Some time later…)

"Wake up." A voice said to me. I bolted upright, straight in the face of the Absol from before. "You. Follow me." She said to me, beckoning with her horn-scythe… thing. I went to wake Kiara, but the Absol glared at me. "Alone."

{Why should I-} I started, talking like I normally do to Pokémon. To humans, I probably sounded Japanese or something.

"Stop that gibberish; I can't understand you, human." She said. Confused, I decided to follow her. I won't go out of earshot of camp, though, and I still had Rex and Joshua in their Pokéballs on my waist. Thankfully, she just stopped right inside the trees, lounging out on the ground. I sat down across from her, trying to act casual.

"Is… this the language you're speaking?" I ask, in plain English.

"Yeah, took you long enough to realize that." She said. "The name's Pandora, by the way, Zack."

"Wait, how do you know my name? And how can you speak the human language?"

"One question at a time, short stuff."

"DID YOU JUST-" Pandora clapped her paw over my mouth.

"Yeah, I called you short. Deal with it. To the first, I overheard your friends call you that."

"And the second?"

"I grew up surrounded by your kind, since I hatched. I picked up your language instead of the Pokémon one. I understand you, but not my own kind. Sad, really." She shuffled back on her haunches, leaning against the tree. "That's where you come in, Zack."

Still feeling uneasy, I said, "How do I help you, Pandora?"

"I'll go along with you on your journey. In return for my inevitable help in battles and such, you talk to Pokémon along the way. I want to figure out my past, and find out why I grew up near humans instead of the mountains my species normally lives by."

Agreed, then, Pandora. Welcome to the team." I walked back to the campsite, grabbing a dusk ball from my bag. Pandora hopped inside of it, becoming my fourth Pokémon. I hopped in my sleeping bag, getting a good night's sleep after that, while wondering what happened to Pandora in her past.

(Daybreak)

"Ugh… 'Morning, Zack." Max groggily said to me. May had also woken up, and was busy training with Torchic and Skitty for the contest she would get to in Slateport.

"Morning, Max. Morning, May." I said. We packed up camp shortly after breakfast, which consisted of bread, MooMoo milk, and a few berries.

"We really need to learn how to cook…" May said. I nodded in agreement, as our Pokémon ate nearby. I realized I had forgotten to get Pandora out so she could eat. I pulled out her Pokéball, and called her out onto the ground.

"About time. It was getting kind of cramped in there." She said. May's jaw dropped and Max did a spit-take with the milk in his mouth.

"A TALKING ABSOL! WOW!" He screamed.

"Kid, don't yell at me. You're making my ears bleed."

"…Sorry…" Max sulked over to the other side of the group, away from the Absol in question.

"Where's the food? I'm starved." Pandora asked.

"Over there," I said, pointing towards the bowls of berries that the other Pokémon were eating from. "Just take a fair share, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah." I then set myself to explain the situation to Max and his sister. They seemed to understand, but were slightly confused. I guess that was to be expected, after all. "Where are we headed?" Pandora asked, walking back with a few berries.

"We were going to head through the Rusturf Tunnel, but it had a cave-in." May said. She had an odd look on her face, like she couldn't believe she is talking to a Pokémon.

"Oh, that? No problem for me. I came here through that tunnel, well after it collapsed. Actually, I was the one who collapsed it."

"Really? Why'd you do that, Pandora?" Max asked the blue-and-white Pokémon.

"Do you really want to know? I mean, do you _really _want to know?"

"Uhh… no..?"

"Good. Just know that I can lead you safely through those rocks. All you have to do is get in."

The worker who had stopped us earlier wasn't there, probably still asleep, so we casually sneaked into the tunnel. Pandora led the way, and the four of us, five if you counted the psychic-type sitting on my shoulder, went down into the gloom.

(A/N: Pandora the Absol, my friends! Also, I've come up with close representations of how our voices sound, besides the characters that appear in the anime- I sound kind of like Ash, but a little deeper voice and not as child-like. Kiara is similar to Ginger from _Dust: an Elysian Tail_, while Joshua sounds like Io from the Japanese anime _Achhi Kochi_ {hope that's spelled right}. Rex is similar to a younger Indiana Jones. Pandora's voce, while not much is actually heard, is similar to Midna's ambient speech from _The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess_. Enjoy Thanksgiving everyone, and may the great Turkey Gods send fortune upon us all on this glorious holiday. *Shoots self for actually saying that*.)


	13. Heroism

Chapter Thirteen  
Heroism

The Rusturf Tunnel had indeed suffered a collapse most thorough. Most of it was unrecognizable, and many natural tunnels had surfaced, crisscrossing around inside the earth. I saw several Aron skittering around in the tunnels. "You sure you can lead us through here?" May asked Pandora, as the Absol jumped into the cave.

"As sure as your headband is red, girl. Now shut up, and follow me if you want to get to your contest on time." May was about to say a comeback, but I clapped my hand across her mouth.

"Something tells me that if you argue with her, you'll lose, May." She pouted, but said nothing. Pandora led us deeper and deeper into the tunnels, and I set my X-Transceiver to full brightness in order to see the ground in front of us.

"I forgot that you humans can only see if you have light. Just another way your kind is flawed."

"I'm not liking her attitude." May muttered, quiet enough for only me to hear.

"Just go along with her. I'm sure we'll be best friends sooner or later." I muttered. We heard a yelp from behind us, and a crash of rock following it soon. Turning, even Pandora, we saw that Max had tripped in the darkness and scraped his knee on the rocks. I knelt down to examine the wound, Kiara jumping off my shoulder. The skin was torn and it was bleeding. It wasn't severe, but it needed to be sanitized and bandaged.

"Owowowowowowow!" Max kept screaming. I pulled out a super potion from my bag.

"Zack, that's for Pokémon, not humans." May said.

"You don't want to poison the little runt, right?" Pandora chimed in. May and I ignored the comment.

"He won't get hurt or anything, May. Trust me; I've used them on myself countless times. I know they're advertised exclusively for Pokémon, but in reality, the Pokémarts just want you to spend more money on 'human' medicine." I sprayed the medicine on Max's knee, and the bleeding slowed. I followed it up with a bandage from my bag. "There. Can you stand?"

"I'll… I'll try…" Max said, getting up. He tumbled and fell again, yelling as he stepped on the injured limb. "OW! IT HURTS!"

"Calm down, calm down…" I said. I turned to Pandora. "Could you carry him? He can't walk, and it's not like May or I could carry him."

"If I have to. I know how important he is to you and the skeptical one." She said, getting down on her forelimbs. I pulled Max onto her, securing him by tying my jacket around the two. Kiara jumped back onto my shoulder.

"Oof! Kiara, evolve again and you know you can't sit there." She chuckled as she held my X-transceiver up higher, allowing more area to be lit up. We walked for hours, upon hours. We stopped twice, once for lunch and the second to change Max's bandage. The potion was working well, and May had taken back what she had said before. Pandora seemed constantly restless, and I told myself I'd ask her for the full truth about her story when we got out.

The cave was continuing to lower for a while more, the walls being coated with a sort of slime. The cave eventually leveled off, and the floor was destroyed in certain places, leaving narrow walkways here and there. They Ariados-webbed across the area, creating an underground maze.

"You sure you know where you're going?" I asked, half shouting at Pandora, who was walking swifter than May or I dared.

"As sure as you are naïve, yes. This is where I lived before we met." She jumped over a lane, and on the one across from it. I had to have May vault over me, using my hands as a stepping-stone to make it. I jumped over, and would have fallen if Kiara hadn't used magical leaf to create footholds for me.

A little ways off, probably a half-hour from then, we reached a single path, about as wide as May and I if we stood with our shoulders touching. I felt a rumble in the ground. "Hold up, Pandora," I said, kneeling down and feeling the ground with my hand. "Something's coming. Kiara, shine the light behind us." As she did, I saw a herd of Aron and Larion, charging at us.

"They believe we are trespassing on their territory. Run!" Pandora shouted, bolting off faster than I could see. She shouted back, "Don't worry! It's a straight shot from here! Just don't make any turns!"

May and I ran for our lives, and contrary to Pandora's wishes, we were forced to make a detour left because of Aron that found a way around us and cut us off. We ran until we reached a rock wall, my X-transceiver almost out of juice for light. "We're dead! We're so dead!" May shouted.

"Rex, on field!" I said, throwing out the quick ball with him in it.

{What's up- oh, crap, are we in some sort of life-or-death situation?} he said.

{No shit, Rex! Now, if you want us to live, you'll use aura sphere and bullet punch on the rock wall to get us the hell out of here!} He did so quickly, carving a path up and out of the cave gradually, until he punched through to another cave. I saw light not far off.

"We're almost out of here!" I said. May tripped in front of me, much like her brother, but I caught her mid-fall and kept running, May in my arms and Rex following close behind us. That's when things took a turn for the _really _worse. An Aggron, the final evolution of the species that was chasing us, was at the mouth of the cave. I ran past it, but it used earthquake as we passed, breaking the ground apart and causing the cave to fall in on itself.

"We're not gonna make it!" May cried, closing her eyes.

"The hell we're not!" I shouted, throwing May as hard as I could out of the cave ahead of me. She tumbled out, safe, as the aftershock of the earthquake knocked me on my back. Kiara also flew out of the cave, launched from my shoulder as I hit the ground. I got up running eager to run away, when I heard a voice from behind me.

{Go, Zack! I'll hold them off!} Rex shouted.

{Are you crazy, Rex?!}

{NO! I'll hold the path; it's narrow, and if I don't,} he paused in order to launch an aura sphere, hitting a Larion into the deeper part of the cave; {you'll get hit by them!}

{I'm not letting you do that!} I said, running towards him to grab him. The tunnel was really starting to cave in now, rocks falling all over the place. I was just about to grab him when he turned around, hitting several more wild Pokémon with aura spheres.

{Sorry, Boss.} He said, launching an attack at me. The sphere of pure fighting energy slammed my gut like a cannonball. I was in the air and out of the cave in seconds, tumbling down on the ground below. I landed next to May, Kiara, and Pandora, who had gotten out before us. I looked up, and shouted "REX!"

That's when I saw the tunnel completely collapse, trapping my companion inside it with the angry Pokémon.


	14. Pandora's Box

Chapter Fourteen  
Pandora's Box

(A/N: WARNING. This chapter probably contains some of the most graphic gore I will ever put in a story. If you are uninterested or uncomfortable in reading that part of the story, I will provide an ample warning later. No flaming if you read it, none if you don't. ~Nano)

It was three days since the cave collapsed. No sign of Rex. May had won her contest, while Max's injury had apparently infected him with Pokérus. Normally, humans can't get that, but it's more like the common cold than anything else. He'll be fine in a week, according to Nurse Joy. I'll just have to stay in Verdanturf Town with May until then.

May had gone to the local trainer's school for more information about contests. She took Joshua, saying that he needed to spend time outside of sleeping in our rented room. Kiara wanted to be on her own today, for reasons I won't ask for due to privacy's sake. That left Pandora and I alone. She walked up and down in the room as I read a book _(Famous Trainers and Their Accomplishments)_. I dog-eared the first page on the chapter on Cynthia, and asked: "Pandora, what's up? We've barely talked since we got here."

"I was just… waiting for the right time to talk to you about something…" She said, stopping and sitting down.

"Well, we're alone, and May won't be back with Joshua 'till later. We have all the time in the world to talk now." I stated, patting next to me on the bed. She jumped onto the mattress, and lay down, facing me. I went to stroke her fur, as most Pokémon enjoy, but she backed off.

"Remember what I said about helping you? That I wanted help in return?"

"Yeah. You finally gonna tell me what you need exactly?"

"M-hm. Now… I need help in… finding someone."

"Who, exactly?"

"Shut up, I was getting to that." Pandora took in a deep breath, then exhaled. "It went like this…"

_(Sixteen Years Ago)_

_ A young boy and girl human pair were running through a grassy field, near A small village somewhere in Eastern Hoenn. "Hey, brother, what's this?" The girl asked, pointing towards a round shape in the grass. It was pearl white, with a dark blue crescent on one side._

_ "It looks like a Pokémon egg, sis!" The boy said, reaching down to pick it up. "Let's take it back to mom and dad!"_

"Terrance and Sonya were there for me, even as I was just an egg… If it wasn't for them, I might not have been alive." Pandora said, explaining to me her past. I grabbed the soda on the nightstand next to me, sipping.

"What happened next?"

"I'm getting to it…"

_Some years later, two older children, about ten each, were standing on a tree fort outside the nearby city. An Absol was crouched in the corner. "C'mon, Talia, let's play some more!" Terrance said, towards the Absol._

_ "Yeah, let's play some more!" Sonya added on._

_ "Alright, alright." Talia said, closing her eyes. "One… Two… Three…"_

"They seem nice, Pandora. But who's this Talia character?"

"Shut up, Zack. Sorry, but we'll be here all day if you keep interrupting me."

_The children were hiding in the tall grass around the village. "…One hundred. Ready or not, here I come!" Talia shouted. She jumped down, and ran through the grass, trying to find her "prey."She crouched low, and jumped out at a female figure in the grass, pinning her to the forest floor._

_ "Aw, no fair, Talia, you always find me first…" Sonya complained._

_ "That's because your brother is faster. Let's go find him, shall we?" Talia responded, jumping up. Sonya climbed onto Talia's back and the two raced off._

_ "He was going on and on about the cliffs nearby, when you were counting."_

_ "Then let's go to the cliffs." Talia stopped short of the destination, and started a slow crawl towards a male figure, trying his best to hide amongst the rocks. Talia jumped in between the boy and the cliffs, to prevent him from falling._

_ "Hey, you found me!" Terrance exclaimed._

_ "Yes, I did. Now climb up with your sister, Terrance. It's almost lunch time." Talia ran, back towards the village where she lived._

"This is nice and sweet, Pandora, but why do you need my help?" I ask, confused.

"I'm getting to it…" Pandora said, faltering. "It's just so… bad, what happens next…"

I moved to pet her fur again, and this time she let me. "I'm a good listener, Pandora. Go on."

(IS THIS ENOUGH AMPLE WARNING FOR YOU? SKIP THE NEXT OF THE ITALICIZED TEXT IF YOU HATE GORE.)

_Talia gasped in shock as she reached the village. As she padded through, she saw the humans who live there dead, their blood painting the walls of the homes a sickly red. One poor man was hanging from a tree, the last few drops of blood dripping out of his wounds._

_ "What's going on…?" Terrance said from atop Talia's back._

_ "Why is everyone dead..?" Sonya added on. The children were used to death, since the village was prone to disease and other hazards. But neither of them, nor Talia, had seen this much before._

_ A low growl filled the area. {More humans!} A Pokémon's voice said. Of course, it belonged to a mightyena. At the time, however, the Absol and her friends could not understand them._

_ "Hold on, kids, this could get rough…" Talia said. Six Mightyena formed a circle around her, licking their lips. Bloodstained lips._

_ {Hold, my brothers,} a voice said. Another figure jumped down from a tree, belonging to an Absol. His horn, face, tail and claws were red, however, not blue like Talia's. {Why do you let yourself be degraded by humans, sister?} He asked._

_ "I…I don't know what you're saying…" Talia responded to the Absol's grunts._

_ {You speak their language? You have been corrupted, sister. I shall promise you safe passage to Arceus.} He lunged at Talia, knocking Sonya off. The Mightyena swarmed the poor girl._

_ "Talia! Help me!" Was all she could say before one of the wolf Pokémon ripped out her throat._

_ "Sonya!" Terrance shouted. His eyes started to water, and he clung to Talia's neck. However, Talia's eyes glowed red with fury._

_ "You'll pay dearly for what you've done, you monster!" Talia roared, launching a focus blast at the Absol male. "I'll send you to Arceus in a million pieces!"_

_ {Pity you sided with them, sister.} The male said before he bit Terrance off of Talia, leaving him for the same fate as her sister. The male pinned Talia to the ground, forcing her to see. {This is what they deserve, sister. Death. Nothing more can save our world from the human plague.}_

_ "You… son of a…" Talia said, before the older male slashed at her neck, forcing her to lose consciousness._

I had tears in my eyes just from listening. "What happened then?"

"Talia picked herself up when she awoke, and limped in no general direction. She felt trapped in a box of misery, and wanted to die. She eventually found herself at a human city, I think Forttree. The humans took her in, and healed her."

"I feel so bad for Talia. But how does this all tie in to you?"

"When she felt better, Talia dedicated her mind to revenge. In spite of the box of misery she felt trapped in, she renamed herself Pandora, and has been hunting down that murderous Absol and his pack of Mightyena ever since."

(A/N: Chapter a week, right? Okay, moving on to the next one. If you feel bad for Pandora the B!tc# now, I understand. She has a reason for being the way she is. Also, if you're wondering what happened to our little Riolu friend, I am working on a little spin-off story detailing what he's going through as I continue my journey. See you next week! ~Nano)


	15. The Mirror

Chapter 15  
The Mirror

(Told from Rex's perspective)

I kept walking. And walking. Farther down the tunnel, farther into the darkness. I was tired, and weak. I doubt I could fight off one Aron, let alone punch through the boulders that blocked my path. Unlike Pandora, I couldn't see in the dark. The only light I had was holding an aura sphere in my palm, and even that was beginning to weaken me.

I got back to the narrow pathways that Pandora led me across… it must have been a day or so by now. It's hard to tell the time when you're weak and in a cave. I heard shuffling nearby, and I turned to be in the face of a Sableye. His glittering eyes reflected my light, and he reeled.

{Ack! Why do you shine the light in my eyes, surface-dweller?} He talked in an odd accent, his words choppy and ending quickly.

{Sorry. I didn't know you were there.}

{Hmph. What brings you down into the caves, surface-dweller?}

{I was separated from my friends. We were about to leave this cave before a landslide closed it off. I'm just trying to find a way out, to get back to them.} My stomach growled. Give me a break; I haven't eaten since lunch the previous day.

The Sableye laughed. {Not on an empty stomach, surface-friend. I take you back to family. We take care of you, like other travelers.} He picked me up, and jumped forward, covering more ground than I could have hoped to cover in a day. We stopped near a torch-lit hallway cut into the rock, and the Sableye placed me down.

{Why is it lit? Don't you underground Pokémon not need light?} I asked, out of curiosity.

{The light is not for family; it is for travelers, so they feel welcome.} He responded, gesturing for me to walk in. {Do you have a name, surface-friend? Mine is Cobalt.}

{I'm known as Rex. Thank you for letting me stay here.}

{It is no trouble. My family, we help others because we like to. Gives purpose to life.} He led me to a table in a lit chamber, and he told me to wait. A few minutes later, Cobalt returned, with a plate laden with a sort of fungus and a cup of water. I didn't care what the slightly fluorescent thing was, I wolfed it down like there was no tomorrow, stopping only twice to drink.

{Thank you for the food.} I said, politely.

{No trouble.} A yelp could be heard echoing through the walls. {Follow me.} I stood up, and feeling stronger, was able to walk a faster pace. He led me into a larger room, filled with objects that were both strange and wondrous.

{Cobalt, who this?} A female Sableye said.

{Pearl, this is Rex. He is from the surface. I offered him help in getting back.}

{I was wondering what took you so long.} She walked around the room, looking intently at the objects.

{What's she doing?} I asked.

{She's looking at the magical items, Rex.} He shuffled on the ground as Pearl grabbed a small mirror, one that had a blue stone trim around it. It was hexagonal, and shone like the female's namesake.

{This is the Magic Mirror.} She said.

{What does it do?} I asked, taking the mirror in my paws.

{Whisper what you want, and it teleports you to where you need to go.} Cobalt said. {It has worked for many travelers so far, and for me as well.}

{Alright. Thank you both.} I said. Then, whispering my question, {I want to travel to where Zack is.} A wind blew past me, and I was sucked into the mirror, being taken to where I was supposed to go.

(Several Hours Later…)

I awoke to find myself among some very tall human buildings. Everything was a dark grey in color, with midnight blue for accents. The sky showed me it was nighttime. Wait… the sky? {I'm out of the cave!} I shouted out loud, not caring if anyone heard. I'll have to thank Cobalt and Pearl if I ever see them again.

But, that brought up a serious question: where am I? And a more important one: where's Zack? I walked towards a more open street, trying to get my bearings on location. I turned into an alley, and this odd… semi-transparent barrier erupted behind me, as well as a ways farther on.

Then, the really crazy crap happened. These really odd Pokémon appeared; pitch black in color with yellow eyes, antennae, and a jagged smile. A few larger ones, probably the evolved form, appeared too. They lunged forward, and used shadow claw, or at least what looked like that. Guessing from their appearance, I launched an aura sphere at them.

Bingo, that did it. Although I've never seen a Pokémon disappear in a puff of smoke before. Shrugging it off, I used force palm to defeat the rest of the mysterious dark types. Only when the last one disappeared the barriers fell. I walked a little ways forward, until a similar occurrence happened. This time, a brown-haired human was in there with me, him and his blonde-haired female companion.

The dark types appeared again, and the boy shouted, "Naminé, get back!" while swinging his arm back. Some sort of curved object appeared in his hand, and he launched bolts of ice at the dark types. I joined in with his attacks, not knowing how a human could perform Pokémon attacks.

The last one disappeared and fell in a pile of darkness, and the barriers once again fell. I walked over to the human, and said, {Hello, the name's Rex. Can you tell me if you've seen a trainer with green hair by the name of Zack?}

The male human looked at me for a second, confused. He must not understand my language. Then, astonishingly, he responded. In the Pokémon speech. {I'm not sure what you mean by 'trainer' or 'green hair,' but I'm the only Zack I know.}

(A/N: Yeah, I just did that. ~Nano)


	16. The Day Care

Chapter 16  
The Day Care

It was about four days since Pandora told me about her past. I had promised to help her track down this Absol. I wouldn't kill him, but I sure as hell wouldn't stop Pandora from doing so. "So, May, Max, you ready to go?"

"Just give me a minute to pack my stuff!" May shouted from inside the room, followed by a crash of various poke- and human- care products. Max stepped back in, to help his sister.

"I'll be outside, guys." I say as I indeed headed out of the Pokémon center. Pandora followed me, and I pulled out her Pokéball to return her. "Talia, return." I said, but she jumped to the side, avoiding the beam to send her back into the sphere. Kiara sat on my shoulder as usual, and shot our Absol friend a questioning look.

"I'd rather not be called that, Zack. It brings up the bad memories."

"Yeah, but it also brings up the good. Remember, there was more in that box of Pandora's than misery and sadness. Think of the good things, too." I returned her again, this time successfully. May followed out, with her bag around her waist, followed closely by Max with a large backpack. "We all set to go?"

"Yup!" Max said energetically. We started to walk out of Verdanturf Town, headed east to Mauville City, the site of both my third gym battle and May's second contest. Wurmple had evolved in her first one to a Silcoon, and mostly stayed in one place when she was out.

A few miles down the road, we spotted a small building, with a ranch behind it. "Hey, Max, what's that over there?" May asked. Max was the one with the Pokénav, and therefore the map.

"It says that's the Pokémon daycare. Trainers can leave their Pokémon there for added training." Max said. "Why don't we go visit it?"

"…Sure, Max. Why not, it's on our way." I said. "That good with you, May?"

"Yeah! Sounds like fun to me." We headed in that direction, and saw the building more closely. An older gentleman stood outside a fence, holding a black and white colored egg, the two colors separated by a zigzag pattern. He glanced over in my direction, and waved.

"You, youngster, with the green hair!" He shouted. "Come over here a second, please!"

I walked over to him, May and Max behind me. "Anything wrong, sir?"

He looked at us with a concerned look. "Yes, indeed. A trainer left his Pokémon here, and they had an egg. When I offered it to her, she said she didn't want it. I'm looking for a capable trainer who could take care of it. Interested?"

"Well, how could I say no? I'd love another addition to the team." I reached out, and the man handed me the egg. It felt warm, and I could almost sense the baby Pokémon in it, whatever species it was.

"Aww, no fair, I want a Pokémon of my own!" Max cried out.

"Oh, hush, Max, You're too young for one. You have to be at least ten; you're only eight." May responded. I, however, reached into my bag and fished out my trainer's manual. I paged through the pages until I found an interesting chapter.

"Actually, May, according to the book, _'A person ages eight or nine may become a trainer if and only if he or she has one or more accompanying trainers to oversee his or her journey.'_ May, you and I are two trainers. I think Max can get his first Pokémon."

"Really! Yeah!" Max jumped around, overjoyed. He stopped all of a sudden, however, confused. "But, wouldn't that mean I have to go to Littleroot and get a starter?"

The day care man spoke up. "Son, I can help you there. We have the right to let new trainers pick from a small selection, a group of Pokémon that have either hatched here or were forgotten by their trainers." He led us inside, where a woman around his age stood behind a counter. Her husband explained the situation to her.

"Oh, that sounds lovely. Now, come back here, children, and we'll see if any of our little Pokémon likes this new trainer." She led us into a smaller, fenced off field. In it were a variety of unevolved Pokémon, from regions all over. Among them, the closest, were a Chikorita, a Squirtle, and a Snivy. "Pick, young one. We'll set up your registration after you find a friend." She and her husband walked back inside, to give Max and the Pokémon some room.

"Wow… my own Pokémon…" Max said, walking among them. A few poocheyna jumped out at him, but Max still looked around. He spotted a small form all by itself, by the edge of the fence. Max picked up the small Pokémon, and said, "I choose you."

Max hugged that little brown Pokémon tight. She hugged back, and I could see tears in the little one's eyes. I heard it whisper, {I thought I'd never be picked.} as Max walked past, inside to register. I pulled out the Pokédex on the Pokémon, to finalize my suspicion as to what it is.

_Buneary, the Rabbit Pokémon. By quickly extending its rolled-up ears, it can launch a powerful attack against its enemies. When it senses danger, it perks up its ears. On cold nights, it sleeps with its head tucked into its fur. _Sounds like she'll be a welcome addition to our growing… what would a group of friends be called other than that? I'm not sure, but you all know what I mean.

"And who will be his chaperone trainer?" The day care lady said. I turned to May, who shrugged.

"I'll be his chaperone trainer, seeing as though I'm the oldest of us and this was my idea in the first place." I say, signing my name on the pad. Max received a trainer's card not long after, and we happily left the building, Buneary hopping along and following Max eagerly.

"You know, Zack, I don't want to call her by the name of her species. I want to nickname her, like you do with your Pokémon." Max said. May had started to practice contest routines nearby in camp, while Kiara sat in my lap, munching on a poffin. The Buneary in question sat on Max's lap, looking around.

{My name's Hayley, Max!} Buneary said. Although, I don't think Max understood her.

"Hmm… how about… Kate?" Max suggested. Hayley shook her head.

"Hey, Max, I'm good with names. What about…" I pretended to think for a second, "Hayley? That seems like a good name."

"I like it! Hayley it is!" The small Pokémon jumped up and down, joyous. "Hey, Zack, could you battle Hayley and me?" The small rabbit looked even more eager, and how could I say no?

"Sure." I said, standing up. "Joshua, on field!" I said, throwing out the Pokéball on my waist. Max jumped up.

"Hayley, let's go!" He said. "Use pound!" The rabbit jumped forwards, extending her ears.

"Joshua, use bite to counter!" He grabbed Hayley's ear with his teeth, chomping down. The small bunny was then flung across the field, where she lay, unmoving.

"Hayley!" Max cried, running over to her. I pulled out a super potion, and sprayed it on her.

"She must be unused to battling. She needs a lot of practice before she can hold her own in battle." I had the egg in a strap holder on my bag, and I gestured to it. "As soon as that hatches, we can train both of them together."

(A/N: Yeah, I too wanted Max to have his own Pokémon. Even if I found him on the annoying side in the anime, I still respected him. Anyway, what do you think my egg will hatch into? Stay tuned to find out! ~Nano)


	17. A Shocking Proposal

Chapter 17  
A Shocking Proposal

We had arrived at Mauville City, and it had changed since I was there. Given, the last time I was there was when I was four or five, so a lot can change in about eleven years. More buildings, and taller ones, were present in this small town. I also noticed a new structure, one that was familiar to me. It was another Devon Corp. building, and I swear I could recognize the man in the third story window. To be sure, I brought out my X-Transceiver. I called my dad, and a few seconds later, his face appeared on the screen.

_"Zack, you know I'm busy at work. Is something wrong?"_

"No, dad, nothing's wrong. But it seems you forgot to mention that you were transferred to Mauville. I'm looking at you from the street, across from your window. Look down." I could see my dad's head poke out of the window above, and a large grin lit up his visage.

_"I'll be right there." _The line ended. Kiara sat on my shoulder, while Max and Hayley were chasing each other in a circle. May was admiring her ribbon that she won in the recent contest. Within a few minutes, the door in front of us opened, and the familiar face of my father walked out.

He's not old, though he'll say he is. He's balding a little, but he's still got his hair there. He's wearing a purple button-up shirt and black slacks (he is at his job), and has a laid-back attitude most of the time. "Zack! It's surprising you made it this far already!"

"Yeah, dad. We had a close call in the Rusturf tunnel a week ago, but we're fine now."

"Who's on your shoulder? Don't tell me that's the same Ralts you rescued."

"It is, dad; her name's Kiara. Joshua's with me as well." To prove the point, I pulled out his Pokéball and called out the little eevee, who actually seemed happy to see someone for once. He jumped up, and my dad caught him, holding him in his arms.

"It's been a while since I saw you last, Joshua. How are you?"

{Oh, besides the fact I'm travelling with an annoying eight year old, his idiotic sister, and a bitchy Absol, I'm doing just fine.} Well, then. I'll keep in mind to talk to him later. But for now, my dad laughed, and led us upstairs, to his office, so we can talk.

"You know, you're lucky you got here when you did; my shift's over, so I have some hours to kill." He said as he opened up a briefcase, stuffing letters and papers inside. May and Max had introduced themselves on the way up. Kiara and Hayley had started to wander around the room, looking at small, interesting items and looking out the window to the city.

"Really? Well, in that case, I'll have to make sure to time my gym challenge on one of your breaks."

"I'd like that." He turned to May, "You're a coordinator, you said?"

"Yes, I am." She held out her ribbon case for proof.

"Then, since you're a friend of my son, and the fact I don't want the little promotion Devon gave to all his employees, here's a Pokétch." He handed May a small, red device, and she placed it on her wrist. She thanked him, then went to discover what the little device could do. I leaned on his desk, and picked up the only picture frame, a picture of me, my dad, Joshua, and my mom when she visited us a few years ago. That's when it happened again. I dropped the picture frame and grabbed my head, having another dizzy spell.

"Zack, are you alright?" Was all I could hear before I blacked out.

()()()

_The same scene. A third-floor window in a small town, a kirlia dropping out of the window. A trainer's arm flying out to grab the Pokémon._

()()()

"That same dream…" I muttered as I came to. My dad and May were shaking me gently, trying to wake me up. "I'm up… I'm up…"

"What happened?" My dad asked.

"Something that's been happening a lot lately." Then I realized. The voice I heard of Ariados came to me right before he attacked. Taking that into account… oh shit.

{Zack!} I heard Kiara scream. Apparently, she was leaning out of the window to look at the people below, and a strong wind knocked her off balance. She fell.

"Kiara!" I lunged, reaching out with my arm to catch her. I missed. She fell, faster and faster towards the ground.

"Galliant, use string shot!" I heard a voice from across the street yell. A Galvantula used the move to hit Kiara, and pin her to the wall. Though not done with grace, I ran downstairs to rescue my friend and thank the guy who saved her. Outside, I tugged at the webbing, freeing Kiara, who jumped at me and hugged me.

"The name's Orion, if you were about to ask." The guy said when he walked over. He had shaggy, russet-red hair tied back in a ponytail, and his eyes were a novel grey-blue. He wore an electric-blue jacket with his black pants, while a purple bandana was hung around his neck. I also noticed an odd, yellow backpack on him that seemed to be covered in fur.

"Thanks, Orion. My name's Zack. I can't thank you enough; you saved Kiara's life."

"I was just passing by, and instinct kicked in." He started to walk away, when he shouted back, "I'm working part time at the local Pokémon center, so I have to run. Meet me there sometime tonight, and we'll talk then."

"See you then, Orion." I shouted back at him. I saw him walk across the road, though into traffic, as though he spaced out and didn't realize cars were swerving to avoid him.

{You know, Zack, I might want to stay inside my Pokéball for a while after this.} Kiara said.

{You don't have to, Kiara.} Then a thought hit me. {You know, What's it like to be in a Pokéball?}

(A/N: Timberstar, thanks for the OC of Orion. Last week had no update because I was celebrating Christmas with family, and tomorrow will be no update 'cuz it's New Year 's Day. I'm also currently editing my friend's story on this site, so I'll tell you what it is when he is okay with advertisement. See you all next week, ~Nano.)


	18. VS Wattson!

Chapter 18  
VS Wattson! And…

I had decided to head on over to the Mauville City gym before I met back up with Orion. He said he'd be working at the Pokémon Center, so I'll meet up at the end of the day. May and Max followed me, as well as my dad, who wanted to see me in a gym battle before I left. I opened the doors to the gym, ready for well, almost anything. I was greeted with the face of an angry-looking Pokémon, so I whipped out trusty Pokédex.

_"Raikou, the legendary thunder Pokémon. Raikou embodies the speed of lightning. The roars of this Pokémon send shock waves shuddering through the air and shake the ground as if lightning bolts had come crashing down." _Well, that was unexpected. Pleasant, but unexpected.

"Don't worry, Zack," my dad said, "It's just a robot that Wattson made, not the real thing." I was slightly relieved, but also relatively disappointed. Soon, a man with white hair, black eyes, and a cheery expression called the robot back, where it lay next to him.

"The name's Wattson, kids," he said loudly. "And I'm guessing one of you is here to challenge me."

I raised my hand. "I am, Leader Wattson. My name is Zack."

"WAHAHA! I expected my first challenger in a while to be a bit… taller." I withheld my anger. I didn't want to hurt the guy, and then he might refuse my offer. It took all the self control I had. "Alright, then, get on the other end of the field, son."

I walked over to the challenger's square, while my friends and father moved to the seats near the arena. Wattson followed suit, calling out his referee. "This will be a three-on-three battle between Leader Wattson and the challenger, Zack. No substitutions may be made except those from the challenger."

"Let's see… are you ready?"

"Yes, I am. On field, Kiara!" I threw out her Pokéball, and she pirouetted upon landing.

"Then I, Wattson, shall electrify you! Go, Magnemite!" The small sphere came out, and I knew I was in for a tough battle.

The ref said, "Battle begin!" and immediately, I had Kiara use confusion on the enemy. The Magnemite fell, and I was severely unimpressed.

(Note: I do not hear the following:)

"That's not a good sign for Wattson." May said. Max and Hayley were watching intently, trying to learn some new battle techniques.

My dad responded, "It's Wattson's battle strategy. He lets the opponent win the first match easily, to get them in a false sense of security. Just watch."

(Back to ME!)

"That's all it took? Maybe I should have visited this gym early, to get a better challenge." I muttered under my breath. I withdrew Kiara, figuring my other Pokémon should get to battle. "Joshua, on field!" He hopped out, and took a battle pose.

"Let's shock them, Jolteon!" Wattson said. The electric-type evolution of Joshua sparked with bolts, and released small sparks around itself. "I'll let you have the first move."

"Joshua, shadow ball!" The Jolteon jumped and flipped over it, however, biting deep into Joshua's neck and loosing several volts in a thunder fang. "Shake him off!" Joshua did his best, and responded with a bite attack to the enemy's tail.

"Zap Cannon." I heard Wattson casually say. The Jolteon launched a powerful beam of electricity at Joshua, which hit him straight on. He fell to the ground, out for the count.

"Joshua is unable to battle, Jolteon is the winner." The ref said.

"Pandora, on field!" I said.

"Humph. Let's get this over with, shall we?" Pandora asked when she landed on the ground. She flexed her claws, ready to strike.

"Jolteon, thunder fang!" He rushed forward, trying to get close enough to bite.

"Dodge and use night slash!" Pandora rolled to the left, away from her attacker. She charged up her horn, and slashed sideways at the fox-like Pokémon, who took the full front of the blast, unable to battle.

(In the stands)

"That seemed easy too," May said.

"Pandora landed a critical hit, May," my dad explained, "Night slash is a move that often has that happen."

(Me again)

"Manectric, go!" Wattson said. The electric wolf appeared on field, shaking its fur in a flurry of sparks. "Use thunder, followed by shock wave!" A huge blast of concentrated power flew from the Pokémon's mouth. Pandora managed to dodge it, but was hit by the wave, and moved slower afterwards. She was paralyzed.

"Use bite!" I said, but Pandora couldn't move fast enough. She was hit by another, carefully aimed thunder, and fell on her side.

"Well, this is embarrassing." I heard her say.

"You did your best, friend." I said to her when I returned her to her Pokéball. "I hope you're not done, Wattson!" I said, throwing Kiara back out. It was up to her.

"I'm far from it! Manectric, zap cannon!"

"Kiara, jump!" She did so, landing just after the beam of electricity stopped flowing. "Magical leaf!" The flurry of leaves surrounded Manectric, and hit home. However, another shock wave was launched, and Kiara fast flung back, landing on the far side of the arena.

"Flame charge!" Wattson said. Surprisingly, the Pokémon coated itself in fire, and hit Kiara head on, sending her flying through the mechanical Raikou near the far side of the arena.

"Kiara!" I shouted. "Don't give up!" I saw a glow come from fast the wreckage of the robot, however, followed by Kiara's voice.

{I. Am far. From giving up!} A shockwave of psychic energy signaled the end of the glow, and a gardevoir stood where a kirlia once fell. Kiara had evolved again. {I will not lose to him!}

{That's what I like to see in a challenger!} The Manectric said. He launched an electro ball from his tail, but Kiara was gone before it hit her. She reappeared on my side of the field, having used teleport.

"Kiara, psychic!" I said. A solid wave of psychokinetic energy hit the foe, embedding him in the far wall. He fell out of it a solid ten seconds afterwards, swirls in his eyes and limp.

"Manectric is unable to battle. The winner is Kiara, and the victory goes to Zack of Littleroot Town!" The referee said. I jumped, and Kiara outright hugged me from happiness.

{That's how you win a battle.} She said.

{It is indeed.} I whispered back. Wattson handed over the Dynamo Badge, and my dad took us to a nice restaurant to celebrate. That night, May and Max headed over to the Pokémon center, and I as well, until my X-Transceiver rang. "Don't worry guys, I'll just take this call real quick. You go on in." I noticed that the number was one that wasn't registered in my gear.

Against my better judgment, I answered. "Hello?"

_"Hello," _The voice on the other end said. There was no picture on the other screen, only the words 'Audio Only.' _"Is this Zack, of Littleroot?"_

"Yes… who's asking?"

_"Your mother."_

(A/N: Well, how's that for a chapter? Evolution, a gym victory, and a cliffhanger I've personally been waiting to drop on you guys. Enjoy the next part of the story arc, for it will break the epic barrier. ~Nano)


	19. Separate Paths

Chapter 19  
Separate Ways

"Mom?" I asked. I really couldn't believe her- three years without seeing her, and she'd rather give me a phone call than meet me in person?

_"Yes, Zack. I'm sorry I couldn't see you, work is tying me up too much." _I heard nothing for a few seconds. _"But that's why I'm calling. You're a Pokémon trainer now, right?"_

"Yeah, I have three Pokémon and an egg."

_"Great! I have to say, though, I'm really happy for you. However, I'm sorry to drag you away from your journey, but I need you to come to Orre and meet me at my lab. I need a Pokémon trainer to test our project on, and, well, I'd like you to do it."_

A little shocked, but glad, I said, "Sure, mom. I can go, no problem. Just, my friends are coming along too, right?"

_"Zack, my work is top secret from most people. I barely got clearance to share it with you. I'm sorry, but it'll just have to be you and your Pokémon. I've already got you a ticket for the S.S. Wailord, leaving Slateport City in three days."_

"Alright, mom, I'll be there. Love you."

_"I love you too, honey." _The call went down after that, and I proceeded to walk into the Pokémon center. I saw Max sitting next to Hayley, and I shuffled in the booth next to him.

"Hey, Max."

"Oh, Zack! Who was on the phone?"

"I'll tell you when May's with us. Where is she, Anyway?"

"I'm right here, Zack." May said. She had suddenly appeared next to me, scaring the absolute crap out of Max, Hayley, Kiara and I. "What?"

"Please don't scare us like that again, sis…" Max said.

"So what's up?" May said. I related the details of my mom's call, and told them I had to leave for Orre.

"Aww… I wanna go too!" Max whined.

"Max, grow up. His mom said it was top secret, that's why we can't go. Don't worry, you'll travel with me." Max was filled with fear at that picture, and begged me not to go.

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" A man said next to us. It turned out to be Orion, the same guy who rescued Kiara. His Galvantula hung from his back, as it did before.

"Oh, Orion! No, you're not. I'm just telling my friends here that I have to go to Orre on a little trip."

"Why?" He said, sitting down next to May, across from Max and I. I explained the situation again, trying my best to shorten it up. "I see. Well, I could help."

"How?" May asked.

"I'll go with you guys. I'm feeling the urge to travel again anyway, so why not?" Max seemed okay to travel without me then, just so he's not alone with his sister, I suppose. I can understand that.

"hey, Orion," I said, after dinner and when we were heading up to our rooms.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. Don't worry, I'll be back in Hoenn soon, so you won't have to deal with May and Max for long."

"It's no trouble, really."

(The next day, noon…)

Kiara was walking next to me as I made my way south to Slateport. I had said goodbye to May, Max, and their Pokémon, and exchanged X-Transceiver numbers with Orion, to stay in touch. The sky was blue, the grass green, the taller grass greener… and Cycling Road rose above the route, its steel construction contrasting with the natural path. Wild Pokémon scampered along on the ground, going about their usual business. A pulsle and a minun ran about me a few times, curious, but then disappeared as well.

Everything went smoothly into night, when I made camp near a thicket of trees. I had Kiara start a fire- she is the only one of my Pokémon who was bipedal; and therefore, was the only one who could use flint and steel. Pandora found wood for the fire, while Joshua and I tracked down some berries.

The next morning, Slateport was in view. I had two days until the ship left, so I headed over to the museum, as a sightseeing option. I paid the fifty Poké to enter, and noticed a large amount of people in the rooms wearing a blue pirate costume of sorts, with a stylized "A" on their chests. On the upper floor, only one of them was there, and he looked like he was breaking into one of the exhibits.

"Excuse me, sir, but what are you doing?" I asked. He turned fast, and scowled at me.

"None of your business, kid. Now move along."

"And if I don't?"

"Then I'll just have to make you!" He pulled out a knife and lunged at me, and I jumped to the side. Kiara ran downstairs for help, while I pulled out my own knife and parried another attack. I thrust forward, to get him away from me.

"What is your problem?"

"You're interfering with the business of Team Aqua, kid. This is your last chance to walk away."

"I'm trying to stop a crime. You run away." He didn't however, and sliced forward with his blade, hitting mine out of grasp. He attempted an overhead strike, but I caught his arm and ducked under his limb, so the momentum of his swing caused the arm to stab his own leg.

"What's going on up here?" A voice said. It belonged to Officer Jenny, who was standing right in front of Kiara.

"Jenny, ma'am, this man tried to steal that meteorite from the display case, and I stopped him." I said.

"Well, you did a good thing at that. Go on, I can take care of the rest."

Kiara and I exited the building after that. Tired and spent, we walked aboard the S.S. Wailord after registering with the captain. I found my way to my cabin, which had enough bunks for six people. Instead, I let Pandora and Joshua take the middle bunks, while the egg got a bottom one. Kiara slept in the top bunk opposite mine, and the next time I opened my eyes, it was looking out the porthole in the room, watching the ocean move by as the ship sailed on.

(A/N: What is the surprise my mother has for me in Orre? Also, next week's update will just be fun on the ship, and maybe a plot device or two, but not much. Next Tuesday isn't only the birthday of Zack in my story, but also my actual birthday, so expect something festive and fun. See ya next time, ~Nano.)


	20. A New Companion

Chapter 20  
A New Companion

The boat set off before I knew it. I was glad to find out my mom had booked me a first-class cabin with two full beds, not the rickety bunks found in other cabins. I set the egg on the desk in the room, and let my Pokémon out for a breather. "Ugh, glad to finally get some air…" Pandora said. "You wouldn't believe how cramped it is in one of those."

"I thought Pokéballs had some sort of digital environment for you guys." I replied.

"Yeah, but it's not much bigger than this cabin. I feel sorry for the larger Pokémon."

{You feel sorry? Wow, you might be softening up, Pandora.} Joshua said.

"What did he say, Zack?" Pandora chimed in. Behind her, Kiara was moving her hand across her throat, giving me the belief that Pandora would attack Joshua or me if I told the truth.

"Uhh.. he said that's completely true, Pandora." I lied. She bought it, and then hopped onto one of the beds. On the way, she dug into my bag and pulled out a book I bought for her to read, _Dusknoir Brother's Fairy Tales. _Joshua curled up on a chair, preferring to snooze a little.

{What are you going to do, Zack?} Kiara asked.

{Well, I was kind of hoping at least one of my Pokémon would look around the ship with me.} She nodded, and I told Pandora I'd be back in time to order room service for dinner. Kiara and I walked out onto the deck, and walked over to the entertainment side of the ship. There was a pool, an arcade; hell, there was even a mini-mall.

{What first?} I asked.

{You pick.}

I bought a bathing suit from the mini-mall, and I went into the pool. Many other trainers, Pokémon, and people who weren't trainers swam around. A game of volleyball was going on, humans verses Pokémon, and we were invited to join in. Kiara stood in the water next to a large, burly-looking Blaziken, while I stood next to his trainer, a man with flaming red hair.

After the game, in which the humans dramatically lost, I went back to the changing rooms and got back into my normal clothing. Kiara dried herself off with psychic, and the two of us headed to the arcade. {I got some Poké to kill, let's go.} I said. The first game was some sort of fighting game, for which you needed these little disks. It's called Battiro, and I bought three disks to use for it- one to represent my actual Pokémon, a Gardevoir, an Eevee, and an Absol.

Kiara cheered me on as I used them for the game, battling other people and their disks. I won most games, but Kiara dragged me off; she was getting bored just watching. We found a popular game, _Dance Dance Revolution, _and waited for a turn to play it. It was split; there were some solo songs, some designed for two humans, and some for a human and Pokémon pair.

I selected the song (_This Side of Paradise_) and Kiara had to start it off. She danced gracefully on the arrows, and when the chorus picked up, I joined in. The two of us weren't that bad, and we even grabbed each other's arms and switched places with a spin halfway through. When we finished, the crowd that had gathered cheered.

An hour in the stores later, dusk had fallen. Kiara and I were just about to head back to our cabin when…

"Excuse me, sir?" A guard said. "Are you the resident of Cabin twenty-four c?"

I looked at my room key. "Yeah, is there a problem?"

"People have been complaining about a loud noise coming from your cabin since two o'clock. You'd better go see what's up, son." I rushed back to my cabin, Kiara following closely. Sure enough, I could hear loud screeches coming from inside, and crashes frequented the air.

I opened the door, to see a bird Pokémon attacking Pandora, and Joshua was out cold on the floor. He was knocked out, though, I could tell from the softball-sized lump on his head. The little bird was screeching {I have won! I am your God!}

{Hey, what's all the ruckus about?} I asked. Pandora flew from her hidden position, and landed a bite on the bird. It was knocked out. I pulled out my Pokédex just to see what the little guy was.

_ "Starly, the Starling Pokémon. Starly normally travels in a flock, but when alone, it is hard to notice. Because they are weak individually, they form groups. However, they bicker if the group grows too big."_

"This little one hatched from your egg and proclaimed itself Arceus!" Pandora said. "I've never heard anything more ridiculous in my life!"

I got the Starly into a Pokéball, resolving to name him later. I sprayed a super potion on both Joshua and Pandora, to heal them, and ordered a little room service. A nice, wealthy meal of steamed Kingler Legs and Clamprel. Pandora wanted to sleep in a bed, and Joshua curled up on the same chair as before, the fur of an eevee covering the thing. I unceremoniously fell into the vacant bed after changing into my Pikachu-print pajamas.

Kiara climbed into the bed next to me, and I soon fell asleep.

(A/N: Sorry for being a day late; I got the new Devil May Cry for my birthday, and any possible thought of finishing this chapter up went out the window. Next week I find myself in the desert region of Orre, and a new adventure is bound to find me.)

I woke up sometime on the third night on the boat. Kiara wasn't next to me, like she was the previous nights. I looked around, Pandora and Joshua sleeping soundly. Ace, the Starly, was chirping quietly in his sleep in a makeshift nest by the window. The door to the cabin was slightly ajar. I stumbled out onto the boat's deck, and saw a trail on the ground. I bent down, and the trail appeared to be made of tears.

I followed it around the boat, winding my way past the pool, and the stores. I found myself on the bow of the ship, and then I heard the sobbing. Walking up the stairs, I saw a form on the ground, in a little curled-up ball. It was Kiara. I walked over next to her, and she bolted her head up, surprised. Her face was stained with her tears.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked, kneeling down next to her and placing my arm around her shoulder. She looked away. "You can trust me, Kiara. What's wrong?"

{It's… It's just hard being…} she mumbled something after that.

{Sorry, what? It's hard being...?}

{…With you…} I'll admit, I was stunned. Did I do something wrong? {I'm just… well… it's hard for me to say it…}

{Kiara, you can tell me anything, I won't get mad. If you don't like me-} I was cut off as she looked at me directly.

{No, I don't hate you… In fact, it's the opposite…} I put two and two together, and… oh.

{Kiara…}

{I… I love you, Zack. I have ever since I met you, since you saved me. It's awkward being near you because… well… I'm a Pokémon… and you're a human.}

{Kiara, that doesn't matter.}

{Yes, it does!} She sounded desperate, but I let her continue. {It's unheard of, a Pokémon and human loving each other!}

{Then we'll be the first.}

{But… wait, does that mean..?}

{Yes, Kiara. I've liked you too. A lot. I was actually wondering iff you felt the same way since we met.}

{Why would you like me, though? I'm always getting in trouble…}

{That may be so, Kiara, but you're strong, smart, and heck, if I dare say it, no person, Pokémon or human, would be good enough for you.}

She didn't say anything, just placed a small kiss on my cheek. I returned the gesture, and we walked back to the cabin, hand in hand. More tears were rolling down Kiara's face, but I had a feeling they weren't out of sadness.

(Yeah, who says that the Author's note ends the chapter? NOT ME! MUWAHAHAHA! *Cough* *Hack* ugh, still need to work on that… ~Nano)


	21. Gateon Port

Chapter 21  
Gateon Port

The ship had docked at port, signaled by the captain announcing, "Gateon Port, all who are going ashore must do so now!" Kiara and I departed the boat, my other Pokémon in their Pokéballs on my waist. We arrived in a small town, built for the sole purpose of transportation to and from Orre. I decided to call up my mom; I don't know where this lab is.

_"Hello?" _Came the reply on the other end. Again, the screen only showed "audio only."

"Hey, mom. I'm in Gateon Port, where do I go from here?"

_"I've sent my assistant to fetch you, but she just left. She shouldn't get there until tomorrow, so I hope you can find something to do until then." _She hung up, without even saying 'goodbye' or something. Ah, well; she's probably putting the finishing touches on whatever device she wants to show me.

{We're not going there today?} Kiara asked.

{Nope, not today. Let's ask around, see if we could get some lodging for the night.} The sailors in the area all told me to check out the Krabby Club, the only place with any sort of lodging in the port. I approached the building, which resembled the Pokémon it was named for.

"Hey, where do you think you're going, kid?" A man said to me. I looked to the right, and saw him standing there, dressed in a sailor's uniform.

"I'm looking for a place to stay for the night, and people told me this is the place."

The man laughed. "We at the Krabby Club only admit trainers who can fight their way in. No battle, no stay."

"I can agree to that. What about you, Kiara?"

{Sounds fair, if it's their policy.}

"Alright, then let's battle!" The man said. He sent out two Pokémon- a pelipper and a ludicolo. "What's with that look? Never done a double battle before?"

"Uhh… no, not exactly…" I said. "But I'll give it a shot. Pandora, on field!" The Absol stretched her back upon exiting the Pokéball, and then stood up, ready for battle.

"Ludicolo, use rain dance, and Pelipper, use hydro pump!" The trainer said. A light drizzle turned into a downpour, and a torrent of water gushed from the bird-Pokémon's mouth, aimed at Pandora.

"Kiara, use magical leaf, Pandora, dodge that and use night slash!" The leaf attack struck the Ludicolo head on, then rounded back and hit the Pelipper. Pandora jumped high in the air; her claws grazing the water attack as she moved so fast it seemed like she teleported in front of the poor bird that took her attack.

A crowd had gathered around our battle, most sailors cheering for the one they knew well. A few were on my side, however, and that alone was encouraging. "Kiara, use ancientpower, Pandora, finish them off with another night slash!" The rock-type move hit the Pelipper as planned, but it didn't go down as planned. Pandora's night slash did finish off the Ludicolo, however, but the bird one was just in range to-

"Pelipper, Brave Bird!" Yeah, to do that. Pandora was knocked into Kiara, knocking the latter unconscious. I returned the Gardevoir to her Pokéball, while Pandora stood up, rage in her eyes.

"You did not just use me against my teammate!" She yowled loudly. Some people in the crowd murmured about her speech, but she was in too much of a rage to care. Without my command, she bit deep into the enemy who remained, dodging another hydro pump in the process. She slashed downward with her sickle-shaped horn, delivering a devastating final blow to the poor recipient of rage.

I had to return her, since she was still attacking the Pelipper's knocked-out form. We were admitted into the club, and I paid for lodging after taking with the sailor I beat. He had congratulated me, and gave me a small ribbon to prove I won to the owner of the place. I grabbed my room key, and walked upstairs to room three-c. I found a bunk bed in there, and let my Pokémon out to stretch. Pandora resumed reading _Dusknoir Brother's Fairy Tales, _while Ace tried to read with her, but ultimately failing. Kiara fell gracefully onto the bed and passed out. Joshua, on the other hand, wanted to explore the town and hopped onto my shoulders.

I headed back outside; it was the first time I've been in Orre, and I'd like to see the sights. Joshua and I walked into and out of various stores, until one caught his eye more than mine.

{Hey, Zack, that building has an Eevee on it.} he pointed out.

{Yeah, so it does. Let's head on in.} Inside I found a variety of products catered towards eevee and the evolutions of such. The man at the counter inside immediately greeted us.

"Welcome to the Eevee Emporium, my name is Perr, can I help you?" He said. He then spotted Joshua on my shoulder. "Oh, are you here for the giveaway?"

"Uhh… giveaway? Sorry, I just arrived in Orre…"

"No problem, sir! All you have to do is draw a prize ticket. If you're a winner, I'll give you a choice of item, to let your eevee there evolve."

"Whadda ya say, Joshua, want to evolve?"

{Sure. I'd be more on par with Kiara and Pandora, anyway.} I walked up to the counter, and paid four hundred Poké for a prize ticket. I scratched off the four symbols, getting three eevee heads and a cross mark.

"Alright, you won the small prize. Water stone, thunder stone, or fire stone?" he placed each in turn on the counter.

"I'll let Joshua decide." He hopped down to the table, and pushed his nose against one of them quickly. I soon thanked the man, and left with a Flareon on my shoulder.

Inside the room after more shopping for supplies, I grabbed my Pokédex and browsed through it for a while. Nothing new, like I anticipated. However, I had a familiar feeling… the world was flashing red, and I felt another dizzy spell take over.

()()()

_Sand. Lots of sand. The roar of a dragon-type Pokémon overhead, its long body green in color. His opponent, a smaller, orange form, fought back by changing its body. Running on the ground was a green-haired boy and a pink-haired girl. The attacks of the two Pokémon were devastating, creating chaos around the running figures…_

()()()

"What did that mean?" I whispered to myself, my Pokémon fast asleep. "Well, I guess like the others, only time can tell."

(A/N: one more chapter. And… I have little news to share. That's a first, now isn't it, folks? ~Nano)


	22. Across the Sand

Chapter 22  
Across the Sand

"Hey, are you Zack?" A feminine voice called out. I turned, to face a girl about my age, dressed in a dark blue dress, with a pink scarf around her shoulders. The striking thing, though, was her hair. It fell down to her ankles in a giant pink sheet.

"Yeah, that's me. This is Kiara." I gestured to the Gardevoir, who waved politely.

"I'm Aelita, your mom's assistant. I've been sent to get you." Her tone was rather dry, as if she was incredibly bored.

"Thanks, then. When do we leave?"

"Immediately, seeing as though your mother, Mrs. Dakol, wants to see you as soon as possible. The buggy's this way." She led me to the inland edge of town, to where, indeed, a small four-wheeler buggy was parked and still running. I climbed into the passenger seat, while Kiara hopped into the back. Aelita sat in front of the wheel, and pulled us out of the smooth stone of the town and into the harsh sand.

"Is this your first time in Orre?" She asked.

"Yeah. I'm not one for sand, but the land has its own beauty to it."

"Ha, you'll tire of it soon enough. I'm just glad the Pokémon HQ Lab is in a small forest near Mt. Battle, myself. The sand's too gritty." I turned around to make sure Kiara was okay, and she was clutching at the seats, frightened by the speed. It also didn't help that the back seat wasn't as protected from the sand as the front.

{Why are you here? Explain yourself!} I heard in the distance.

"Hey, did you hear that?" I asked.

"Yeah, sounded like a dragon Pokémon's roar. We should be careful, who knows where it is." Aelita responded.

(Two hours Later)

I was starting to nod off, the sand indeed having become boring. I was jerked awake, however, when a square of cloth was thrown at me.

"Quick, throw that on your face!" Aelita shouted.

"Why?"

"There's an Arceus-damned sandstorm ahead! Unless you want a lungful of sand, put that on! Your Pokémon's already got one." I tied the cloth around my face, covering my nose and mouth. I looked ahead, and I could see a massive cloud of sand and dust ahead of us.

"Hold on!" The pink-haired girl shouted. The buggy was jerked around when we hit the storm, but I had to ask.

"Hey, I know I'm new to Orre, but are there supposed to be explosions in a sandstorm?" I could see blasts of light flare up around us on the ground and in the sky, and the roars of a Pokémon.

"No, and that explains the storm, we're in a territory dispute between two Pokémon! But only Legendaries could make a storm this big…" I saw a burst headed straight for the buggy. "INCOMING!"

The buggy was hit, split in two between the front and back. Kiara, stuck with the back, spiraled into the storm, while Aelita and I crashed in the same direction we were heading. "you okay?" I asked, unlatching my seatbelt.

Aelita did the same, saying, "There goes the buggy, but I'm fine. Where's your Pokémon?" I shouted out her name, and got a faint response in the howl of the storm. I grabbed Aelita's arm and ran in that direction, when the sandstorm vanished.

Above, I saw two Pokémon; the large green one was easily recognizable as Rayquaza, guardian of the skies. The smaller, orange-ish-red one was Deoxys, one I knew little about. They were arguing about something, Rayquaza having used his air lock to calm the storm. I ignored them, and ran to the wreckage of the buggy Kiara was trapped in.

{Help me!}Kiara shouted, trying to lift the wreckage with psychic. However, her mind was in too much shock, and she couldn't concentrate hard enough. I tried to pry some of the twisted metal off of her, but it was slow going as the two deities above resumed their conflict.

"Aelita, help!" I shouted. Together, we managed to pull enough metal aside for Kiara to crawl free.

"Zack," Aelita said, pointing to the buggy. I saw fire on it, presumably from Rayquaza's outrage attack. "That's near the fuel tank. Run!" She bolted, and Kiara and I did the same. Kiara stumbled, but I jumped back to catch her.

That's when it happened. The flame, boosted by being hit by one of Deoxys's attacks, caused the explosion. A flash of light was all I could see, but something blocked it…

(Minutes later)

I came to, but barely. I felt a weight on me, and saw Rayquaza and Deoxys fighting on the ground, both wounded from their fights. Aelita was nowhere to be seen. I rolled the weight off me, and that's when I saw her. Kiara. She was the weight, and she was motionless, covered in blood and blackened flesh. I remembered part of the Pokédex entry on a Gardevoir:

_"A Gardevoir will protect his or her trainer with fierce determination, even if they risk their life in the process." _Oh, Arceus… No, she couldn't have… she's just hurt, that's all. But my feelings turned to anger when I realized who did this.

I couldn't feel my left arm, and I more stumbled than ran, but I managed to flip open my knife as I charged at Rayquaza, too enraged to feel or think anything. I jumped, and plunged the knife deep in Rayquaza's neck, causing him to flail about.

{Human! Do not interfere with us!} He shouted.

{You caused this! You hurt Kiara!} I shouted, pulling out the knife and stabbing it back again. Rayquaza howled in pain and hit me with a dragon rage, sending me flying out on the sand.

{Stay out of our way if you wish to live, human!} Rayquaza shouted, his voice rolling me over. It wasn't long before I blacked out again.

(Another transition)

"Is he stable?"

"Yeah, I think so." I groaned as I looked up towards the figures standing above me, two girls and a man. The girl on the left was Aelita; that much I remembered. The woman on the left was my mother, I realize now; it was a while since I last saw her.

"Hey, Zack." My mom said. "I wish you hadn't gotten here under such harsh circumstances, but…"

I had to interrupt her there. "Where's Kiara… I need to see her…"

"Zack… I'm sorry, I couldn't get all of you…" Aelita said. I managed to get up, and grab her coat to argue, but that's when I felt it. I couldn't feel my left arm before… because I no longer had one.

"Like I said, Zack… I couldn't get all of you."

"And Kiara..?" I was scared to ask, but I'd let Arceus damn my soul before I stopped worrying.

Aelita said nothing, she only held out her hand. I held out my right, no, my only hand, and caught what she dropped into it- a burnt piece of white dress and some strands of blue hair.

I've never cried before. But now, after this, I think I'm permitted.

(A/N: And that's how you write a plot twist, my friends. I told you I'd stir my story into something off the generic "Trainer fight gym, trainer win" thing. Now, you see my true plot. And I hope you'll still keep to the story. After all, who know what I'll have up my sleeve now, now that I've shown my true creativity? Only (the god of) time can tell… ~Nano)


	23. The Journey Continues

Chapter 23  
The Journey Continues…

(Three months after the events of the last chapter)

"Mom, you're sure you've worked the kinks out of it, right?" I ask. Since the loss of my left arm, my mother was modifying one of her earlier inventions, the snag machine, to work as an artificial limb for me. We're on attempt number seventy-three. Most times, nothing happened, but I've punched myself in the face on more than one occasion trying to operate it.

"Yes, honey, I'm sure." She says as the arm is attached to my side. There was a metal plate inserted in my shoulder, to let the machines connect to my nerves. It hurt like hell when it was put in, but if it worked, well, it would be worth it.

But, before I think of anything else, I still constantly think about Kiara. I could've saved her, I know it. If I didn't attack Rayquaza and just carried her away from the fight, I knew I could have saved her. We held a small funeral for her in the inner gardens, burying her only remains under a Pecha tree. I found it fitting, since they were her favorite. I visit her grave every day.

"That should do it, Zack. Try it out." My mom said, snapping me back to reality. The arm was in place, and I turned and twisted it about, surprised that it was actually working. I got up, and shook my mom's hand with my metallic one, then pulled her in a hug. "Thanks, mom."

"No problem, Zack. I also added two little details to your arm. Here…" She pressed a small button near the elbow, and a hatch opened up on the inside of my new arm. Inside were six small holes, just the right size for Pokéballs. She closed it up, then pressed another button on my hand. The orb on the back of it glowed, and displayed a small screen.

"That's a better, upgraded version of the X-Transceiver. I already put your contact information into it, so don't worry. There's also a G.P.S. and a clock in there, so don't worry about getting lost or being late."

I thanked her again, and then went down to the lab's limited library. It's where I've spent most of my time. I've been looking through an old mythology book, to try to find a way to bring Kiara back… sounds silly, but I'm willing to do anything.

I paged through _The Story of Arceus and His Children _again, looking for clues, when I found what I was looking for:

_"Giratina is the Pokémon who rules over the Reverse World, a place few humans have ever gone to and returned from. It governs the changes and anomalies found in our world, and corrects them. Giratina is the third son of Arceus, and has power over shadow, illusion, and death." _Power over death makes me think he could bring Kiara back. I read on, to learn where I can access the Reverse World.

_"Only Giratina and Arceus can open portals to the Reverse World, but only Giratina can open portals back to ours. It is almost impossible to meet with these two incredible Pokémon, since Giratina seldom leaves its domain and Arceus resides in the Hall of Origin, a mythical place no human or non-legendary Pokémon has ever visited." _So, it's simple. Well, in words. I find Arceus or Giratina, and I can ask them to bring Kiara back. Of course, I'd be willing to do anything in return, I wouldn't expect anything less.

Reading more, I found out that the Spear Pillar in Mt. Cornet has a distinct connection to the Hall of Origin. So, I planned for days while I got used to my new arm. I was headed for Sinnoh.

"Hey, mom," I asked the next day, over lunch. "Why did you want me to come here in the first place?"

"Oh! Thank you for reminding me, Zack! Given the recent events, I had nearly forgotten…" She dashed back into the lab, leaving Aelita and I out on the ground outside. A few minutes later, she returned with Joshua and a bandana-like cloth.

She tied it around his neck, and spoke: "If this works, Joshua can evolve into an Eevee's other forms. Hold on…" she rummaged around in her pocket, and pulled out a thunderstone. She gave it to Joshua, who did shine with a bright light and turned into a Jolteon. The fire stone used for his previous evolution fell to the ground, to be used again.

{The fuck?} Joshua exclaimed, shocked as much as I was.

"That's Amazing, mom!" I said. She gave Joshua a smooth stone, and he turned back into an eevee. She handed me the firestone and the thunderstone, as well as a waterstone. Before any of us could talk, however, a large crash came from the lab.

We ran inside, worried. Smoke was gushing out of the cafeteria, and a shape was waddling out of the fog. It was a staravia, and it was walking around like it was drunk.

{Hey, Zack! How're *hic* ya doin'?} the Pokémon said.

"Ace?" I responded, in the human language to not draw the suspicion of my mom and Aelita.

{Yep, it's *hic* me… guess who found the *hic* the…} he stumbled around, getting closer. {The rare candy stash!} he finished triumphantly. My mom had run inside, and confirmed that most of their rare candy was eaten.

"Well, I'd have hoped you'd be a staraptor after all that, but it was still wrong to do." I returned him, and placed his Pokéball in my arm. What could happen next, I wonder…

(The next morning)

Aelita was happy to drive me to Gateon Port, to catch a boat to Sinnoh. I'd be landing in the western port, near iron island. My mom gave me a going-away gift; it was a long, black and red coat to cover up my arm, since I knew it would draw too much attention. I also invested in a few pairs of gloves, in case anyone saw my hands.

I boarded the S.S. Wailord again, headed to cabin 34-d. It was set up like the other room, which only reminded me more of Kiara. Aelita tagged along; my mom said she needed field experience anyway, and a chance to visit the Hall of Origin was too much for her to pass up.

(A/N: and there you have it, folks. Yeah, I couldn't leave you guys hanging like that…so I updated again. What new challenges will await me in Sinnoh? Be sure to find out next week! *sings* _No time to question my moves/ I stick to the path that I choose./ me and my friends are gonna do it right/ you'll never see us run away from a fight… _~Nano.)

I walked down to the bow of the boat again, where I saw Kiara crying. I sat down, like I did before. {What'cha doing, mister?} I hear a voice say. I turn around, and it's the captain's skitty talking to me.

{Nothing much… just remembering a friend of mine…} The skitty walked away, and I turned my attention to where Kiara sat when she was here. It felt like so long, like a lifetime. I spent the night there, in silent vigil for her.


	24. Red Rum

Chapter 24  
Red Rum

{Father, we strike now?} One four-legged figure said to another.

{Yes, my Acolyte, we do.} The larger one said. The two overlooked a port town in the west of Sinnoh.

{I'll get our followers.}

(Back to me)

"Ugh, I hate port air, it's too salty." Aelita said.

"I don't mind it; it's refreshing, in my opinion." I replied. I did mean that; ever since I was a kid I've had an affiliation for the sea and water. It calms me. We wandered around the city, taking in the sights and glancing at the steel-type gym present. I asked around for information on Mt. Cornet, but most people ignored me on their way to their business or a Pokémon center.

I accidentally bumped into this yellow-haired guy (yellow, not blond), sending us both reeling to the ground. "Hey, watch it, now I'm gonna have to fine you!"

"Fine me? Why, because you have nothing better to do?"

"No, because I finally found a guy shorter than me!"

"What… what did you just say..?"

"I said I FINALLY FOUND SOMEONE WHO IS SMALLER-" I punched him in his stomach, knocking him down again.

"HOW DARE YOU CALL ME SHORTER THAN YOU, YOU COULDN'T COMPARE TO A JOLTICK!"

Several minutes of insults followed, and he sent out an Empoleon, inviting me to a battle. "Pandora, on field!" I said, grabbing her Pokéball from my arm. She crouched low, but then stood up, looking away from the opponent, into the forest. "Uhh, Pandora? Something wrong?"

"Shut up, I'm listening to something…" She snapped back. I closed my mouth, shrugging to the yellow-haired boy. She launched a psycho cut into the forest, and I heard a cry of pain, but followed by a shout.

{Now, my brothers, ATTACK!} It was a male voice, old and powerful. Several Mightyena burst out of the woods, attacking the townspeople and my opponent. I saw blood being drawn, and I punched the dog Pokémon off of him with my metal arm.

"We even?"

"Yeah. Get to safety." I said, punching another Mightyena away from me. Pandora seemed to glow with rage, brutally attacking any foe within her reach. She hit a foe with a night slash worthy of the legendary Pokémon, followed closely by a barrage of close-range shadow claws and bites.

I knocked out another one, but my hand found a small trinket tied to its neck. Examining it, it seemed to be a wooden carving of a Mightyena. However, my vision faded red, and the world spun.

"Not… Now…" I whimpered, but I fell down, unconscious.

()()()

_A sky-high view. A small village in the middle of nowhere. Fire, smoke, and embers choked the air just as much as the stench of death. A young man was cornered by Mightyena against a wall, and the leader of them was about to attack. In the background, an Absol could be seen. He stood there motionless, as monochrome as everything else in the dream._

()()()

I came to on the ground, next to a badly wounded form. It was the Mightyena I wounded, and Pandora had attacked him. People screamed nearby as more of the wolves attacked all and killed some.

"YOU!" I heard Pandora roar. I looked up, and she was staring down at another Absol, but this one was different. Where Pandora had dark blue, he had red. "I'VE BEEN WAITING TO SINK MY CLAWS IN YOUR WRETCHED HIDE!"

She lunged, but the older Absol jumped to the side, and hit her flank with his sickle-horn. {You have courage, to face me, child. But you lack determination and control.}

{Yeah, but she's not lacking backup!} I said, charging towards the Absol. However, he hit me with a focus blast, knocking me down. He planted a paw on my neck, his claws squeezing my throat.

{My, my. This is surprising. I thought your kind couldn't communicate well with mine.} His claws dug deeper, drawing blood.

{I'm a rare case… the name's Zack…}

{Well, Zack, I guess I could grace you with my name before Arceus judges you. I am known as Abita, human.} I felt a searing pain in my neck before a large white shape lunged into Abita's, knocking him off. I gasped for breath, and turned to see Pandora facing off with him.

"I WILL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE, YOU MURDERER!" I could see her eyes glowing as red as coals, and backed up. The Mightyena had ceased their attack, being driven off by the Humans and Pokémon of the city.

Pandora launched a night slash, but Abita blocked it with one of his own. He launched a focus blast, launching Pandora into me.

{Next time, little one, bring up more of a challenge.} He looked around, ponderous. {My children, we run south! Go now!} He fled the scene, leaving me with a badly wounded Pandora. I rushed her over to the Pokémon center, carrying her to get there faster.

A few hours later, I met back up with Aelita, who had fled earlier due to the danger. We rented two rooms, so she could have her own. Pandora flopped onto a bunk, saddened.

"What's up?" I casually asked. I tried to start up a conversation with her, to help her calm her feelings.

"I failed, Zack…"

"Failed how?" I asked, running my hand through her fur. She purred a little, and then continued.

"I didn't kill him when I had the chance… I should have killed him…"

"What was so wrong of him, besides his Mightyena killing people? Why do you want to kill him?"

She turned to face me, with determination in her eyes. "Wouldn't you want to kill the Pokémon responsible for Kiara's death?" Her question stung me like a cold arrow.

Honestly, I answered: "Yes, I would. Nothing would please me more. But I won't, because I'm better than him, I won't stoop to his level."

"Yeah, well, I'm not above that level, Zack. I will end his life, I swear it on my own life. He killed to boy and girl who gave me a home. I need to avenge them." She got up, and jumped to the higher bunk.

"And nobody, Zack, will get in my way. Tomorrow morning, I'm chasing him, I might not get another chance. Will you help me or be like the others who just stood there and watched me fail?"

"Pandora, I promised to help you avenge your friends. I'm not going to kill that Absol, but I sure as hell won't stop you from doing so."

(A/N: Bam, another chapter done. It's coming down to the wire here: who will win? Pandora or Abita? The Goddess of Calamity or the Arbiter? Find out soon, and by soon, I mean tomorrow. ~Nano.)


	25. The return of Talia

Chapter 25  
The Return of Talia

The next morning, Pandora had already went to the small training field next to the Pokémon center to train against other Pokémon, particularly other quadrupeds like herself.

"Hey, Pandora, don't wear yourself out. You'll need your strength." I said. I pulled her Dusk Ball out from my arm, but she shook her head.

"No, I want to track him down myself."

"Pandora, I can do that better from Ace's back, he's already agreed to fly me to Abita. He can't carry us both unless you're in your Pokéball." I saw her determination, and put the Pokéball back. "Or, you could track on the ground with Aelita as I fly above on Ace."

"That's better. Now, let's go." She said, moving towards the forest where Abita and his Mightyena disappeared into. I sent out Ace, and Aelita climbed onto Pandora's back.

"See you later." I said, Ace taking off. The view from the sky was beautiful, I have to say. It's a no-brainer why so many trainers like to fly from destination to destination.

We flew south, and I could make out Pandora's white fur and Aelita's pink hair rushing through the trees below. I looked at my hand, displaying the map my mom programmed in for Sinnoh. No towns south of here except for Twinleaf, and that was a ways to the East as well. That's a good thing; I don't want any more people hurt because of Abita.

{Hey, Zack, I'm getting a little tired… is there a place to roost nearby?} Ace complained from below me. I remembered his little "episode" on the ship, and responded:

{Ace, what kind of god are you, that you can't fly as far or as fast as Latios? You can't call yourself-}

{I AM THE MOST SUPERIOR FLYER THERE IS! YOU WANT SPEED? I'LL SHOW YOU SPEED!} He sped up considerably, outstripping a passing pidgeot. My face was pulled back into my skull from G-force alone.

{Ace, stop! Stop! STOP!} He couldn't listen, however, and I found myself holding on for my life as he gradually slowed back to his previous speed.

{Whew… so, Zack, what's next?}

{We look for… There!} I looked down, spotting a small village of buildings nearby. It wasn't recorded in my map, but it was there all right. I saw several black shapes on the ground, encircling a small cliff. A lone boy was trapped there, his red hair sticking up like a beacon. A smaller orange shape was on the ground nearby, a Pokémon.

I quickly started up the communications program up on my arm, dialing Aelita's number. "Aelita, follow my X-Transceiver's GPS location. I found them."

"Rodger that, I'll tell Pandora where to go." I looked at Ace, who nodded and dove down.

{Ace, use peck!} I said to him, as I jumped off him. He swooped down and hit one of the mightyena, knocking him aside. I was free-falling, aiming my robotic fist at the head of another, making clean contact and breaking my fall as I jumped off towards the boy.

"You alright there?" I asked.

"Yeah, you saved my ass there. I'm Chaybn, who are you?"

"Zack." I said, punching aside another mightyena. "Get out of sight, I'll take care of these guys." The dark-types got to their senses, and started to attack me. Ace was doing a great job at defending me and Chaybn from most attacks, while I did my best to get those he didn't.

"Go, Shinx!" Chaybn said, and the little electric-cat-thing popped out of his Pokéball. "Use electro ball!" The attack hit an enemy that was about to bite me, and I turned and thanked him in return.

"This is no use, I can't move in this jacket." I said, ripping off my coat. Underneath, the less-stiff fabric of my shirt made it easier to move my arm, letting me attack and defend better. However, it also made my robot part easier to see.

"What. The. Actual. Fuck." Chaybn said behind me, but I ignored him, focused on the never-ending battle in front of me. Ace went down, but I called him back before the mightyena did any real damage. Suddenly, however, they backed off after a howl split the air.

{Hmm… you are made of stronger flesh than other humans… Zack, was it?} Abita said, his voice unmistakable as he weaved his way through the crowd. I saw his form in front of me, eyes full of malice. {Indulge me in a question before your blood spills upon the ground, then. How can you speak our language?}

{I've always been able to, Abita. I've always heard your tongue like my own.} I was within earshot of Chaybn, but I couldn't care less at this point. {Answer me this question, then. Why do you want to kill my kind off?}

{Your kind thinks they rule this world, and that they can just walk all over us. You capture us and make us fight our kin for profit.} he trailed off, and then continued. {It is my sacred job from Arceus to be his Arbiter, to end his mistake of humanity.}

{There must be some other reason to do this.}

{There is, but-} A yowl of battle pierced the conversation. Pandora leapt out from the cliff above, her sickle-shaped horn pointed straight at Abita's heart. The alternately-colored Absol jumped back, allowing her to tumble on the ground.

"You MONSTER!" She yelled, jumping at him with a shadow claw. Abita leaned back, just enough to escape her range, and then countered with a swift slash to her head. She was sent back, tumbling at me.

{You are weak, my kin. Do not fight me, if you value your life.} Abita said.

{Father, do you want us to-} A mightyena said nearby.

{No, my son. This is an honorable duel. Just because my cause causes death does not mean I am without my honor as an Absol.}

"I challenge you, Abita! To the death!" Pandora shouted.

"Your challenge is accepted." Abita said. Pandora, Chaybn, myself, hell, even the Mightyena were surprised. "What, you think Pandora there is the only Pokémon that can speak your language? No, I have learned your speech long ago, when I had considered your kind my friends. I only thought it would be acceptable to accept her challenge in a tongue that she can understand."

He lunged at Pandora, slashing his horn out to her. She jumped up, and responded with a dark pulse to his back. She landed on him, sinking her fangs in his neck.

"Arrgh!" Abita yowled, rolling backwards to crush Pandora. It worked in getting her off of him, and he fired a point-blank focus blast at her. Pandora flew at me, and I caught her by her rear leg and spun, using the momentum from her flight to send her flying back into the fight, where she used the same move against Abita.

He was hit, but he shook it off and got back into a fighting stance. "I'll make you pay for what you did!" Pandora said.

"And what did I do, sister? I liberated you from the humans, I remember that day."

"No, you killed my friends and family! Now, you'll die for your crime!" She rushed forward, hitting her horn against his. It was now a contest of strength, both sides pushing against each other for an advantage.

"You still have much to learn." Abita said, ducking back. Pandora was thrown off balance, and Abita hooked his sickle around Pandora's, flipping her on her back. Abita jumped on her, pinning her neck down with his paw. Her fur was stained red by her blood, and Abita's fur was also a crimson color. However, his fur was only stained that color around his horn and his paws, the parts that cut Pandora.

"Any last words, Child?" He said, staring into her eyes. But that's when the strange thing happened. Abita flinched as he looked down. "No…"

"YES!" Pandora yelled, managing to flip him over and turning the tables as Abita was dazed in confusion. "Any last words from you, you monster?"

"Only that I am sorry…" he said. Pandora yelled, and sliced Abita's throat open with a well-aimed Night Slash. The Mightyena fled, seeing their leader was gone.

"How can you say sorry? HOW? YOU KILLED MY FAMILY, AND ALL YOU SAY IS SORRY?" She clawed his chest, but I pulled her off of him.

"Pandora, he's dying. Don't overdo it." I said, holding her down.

"…That I abandoned you…" Abita weakly said. Pandora looked at him, confusion running into her anger. "…My daughter…"

"What? You honestly expect me to believe that?" Pandora said.

"…It makes sense to me now, my child… you have her eyes, Selana's eyes… she was your mother… we went out for food one day, and your egg was gone…"

Pandora stood motionless, realizing what he was saying. "..soon after, your mother was killed by humans… and I heard they had a young Absol with them, one who spoke their language…"

"I am not your daughter, you're a monster!" Pandora retorted, trying to disbelieve.

"…You are, and yet are not, at the same time… you and I are kin by blood, but not by ideals… it is because I am your father, you can speak the human tongue, for I was also born with the ability…"

"But… no, it's not true!"

"… Yes, it is, my daughter…" He coughed, bringing up blood. "…However, unlike you, I was not always a Pokémon… I was born human…"

"What?" I asked, shocked.

"…I was a man, who had offered to test a new type of medicine, one that would increase our relation to Pokémon… but it went wrong… I could communicate with them, yes… but you see why I could now…"

"But…" Pandora was piecing together what he was saying. "But, father… I didn't know…"

"How could you have, Pandora? You were lost to me… but, you are why I fought against the humans… I wanted revenge for changing me into a Pokémon, yes… but I also wanted revenge for them taking you… If only I hadn't taken that Dakol's offer… but, then again, I wouldn't have you, Pandora… a strong, brave girl…"

"Dad…"

"…You are why I was fighting, my beloved daughter…"

I was questioned, though, and I had to ask. "Wait… did you say 'Dakol?'"

"Yes… she was the one who gave me the drug… all those years ago…"

"Where was she? Where?"

"Who knows… my vision has left me… goodbye, my daughter… ashes, to ashes…" He shuddered once, and then I saw his chest heave his last breath.

Pandora was actually tearing up, the water flowing down her face. "Dust… to dust…" she finished. It was an old saying I've heard many Pokémon say at funerals, and I found it fitting.

(Later, about three hours)

We had finished burying Abita's body in the ground outside of Chapperton, the town's name according to Chaybn. I filled in what Abita said to Aelita, who finally came down from the cliff Pandora left her on. "I… I need to be alone for a bit…" Pandora said.

"I understand. We'll be at the Pokémon center, Pandora."

"No."

"What? What's 'no,' Pandora?"

"That Pokémon no longer exists. She was only here to avenge her family's death. My name is Talia."

(A/N: Bam! That chapter was another I was looking forward to write, and I definitely went over-the-top on it. So, now new questions: What will Talia do now? Will I succeed in bringing Kiara back to this plane of reality? And who did Abita mean by "Dakol" and how do I know her? All these questions… may be answered in the future. Until then, goodbye, everybody. ~Nano.)


	26. Secret's Out

Chapter 26  
Secret's Out

I walked back to the little village where the battle against Abita happened. From the entry sign, I learned it was called Chapperton, and so I registered it in my map for reference later. Honestly, there's no way I'd remember a name like Chapperton unless I lived there. That's probably why it's not on a map…

Anyway, I was headed over to the Pokémon center, to get Ace fixed up from his fight with the mightyena. As I waited in the cafeteria, sipping on a milkshake, The golden-haired guy I saved walked up to me. He was flanked by a girl on one side of him, who was cheerfully talking to the man on Chaybn's other. They sat down next to me, and Chaybn started off the conversation:

"Thanks for saving me, uhh… Zack, right?" I nodded, and he leaned in closer to ask me something. "Dude, what were you on that let you think you could talk to Pokémon?" I quickly slapped my hand over his mouth, and put a finger to my mouth to hush him up. I just knew that talking to Abita in front of him would cause him to ask questions, but… well, I'll have to come clean.

"Follow me." I said, plain and simple. I led him (Just him; his companions stayed at the table and discussed something about eevees…) outside, to the battle court. Nobody was there, which gave me the perfect opportunity to tell him. "I didn't think I could talk to Pokémon, Chaybn."

He interrupted me, saying, "Then why the hell would you say 'Human' over and over again to a Pokémon?"

_Huh, so that's what I sound like… _"What I was going to finish was that I didn't think I could talk to Pokémon, I knew I could. I was born with the ability." He stood there in disbelief, and I added on: "I've never heard the Pokémon language as its own separate thing; I've always heard it as human speech."

"Dude. Either you're bluffing and you were high, or you're telling the truth. If that's the case, than that's awesome!"

"You're the only other person who knows I can, other than my childhood friend Brendan. I wonder where he is…" I trailed off, but spoke again relatively quickly: "Please don't tell anyone I can. It's kind of this big secret, you know?"

"Yeah, I got you. Say, why don't we battle? We're at the training field, anyway."

"I only have one Pokémon on me. One's getting patched up in the Pokémon center, and the other is at her father's grave."

"No problem, I can do one-on-one." We walked to either side of the field. Apparently, Pokémon battles were something to watch at this town, since a small group of people gathered in the benches nearby, including Chaybn's companions and Aelita. "Jason, let's go!" Chaybn said, sending out a Combusken. I'm from Hoenn, so I know too much about them already, no need to check Dexter.

"Joshua, on field!" I said, sending out the Flareon. He arched his back, and got into a fighting stance. I could hear Chaybn's female companion giggle at the sight of him, and Joshua only hung his head.

"Looks like a nice, even fight here, two fire types." Chaybn said. "Too bad a Combusken is a stronger Pokémon."

"No, I think you'll find it hard to beat me," I said, as I pulled out a water stone. "Joshua, evolve!" I said, throwing it at him. The stone was absorbed, and the resulting fire stone flew back into my hand. Joshua the Vaporeon was out on field.

"What the-"

"Joshua, use aqua jet!" I said. He burst forward in a stream of water, hitting Jason immediately. The chicken tumbled backward, stunned.

{That's how it's done.} Joshua said, licking his front paw.

"I can still win, Jason, use mach punch!"

"Joshua, iron tail!" The two attacks connected equally, sending a shockwave through the air. Both Pokémon jumped back, readying themselves for the next attack.

"Jason, brick break!" Chaybn said. He seemed to know that his fire moves would be ineffective o Joshua, which really only required common sense. The attack connected, and Joshua responded without my command by launching a point-blank hydro pump into the Combusken's chest. It went down for the count.

"And that's how you battle, my friend." I said, walking over to Chaybn, to shake his hand. I reached out with my left, which he shook. He then asked me, though about my arm.

"Why do you have a freakin' metal arm anyway?"

"I lost it in an accident in Orre. A Pokémon shot it off with an outrage attack. My mom was able to make a replacement."

"It's cool, man. Must be better than flesh."

"I'd rather have my own arm back, but this one's not bad." I thought about that. If I had my arm back that also meant Kiara wouldn't have been hit by the blast, and she'd still be here.

"I… I have to go check on something, so see you later. Meet me in the Pokémon center later; we'll talk then."

"Alright, then, see you." Chaybn said. I walked away from him, counting the strides as I walked to where I knew Talia would be. On the way, I dialed up Orion's X-Transceiver, to check up on them. I saw his face appear on-screen as he picked up.

_"Hello?"_

"Hey, Orion, just checking on how things are going."

_"Everything's fine, although you must have forgotten about time zones. It's the dead of night over here."_

"Oh, sorry. I just wanted to check on May and Max."

_"Don't worry, they're fine. May's Wurmple has evolved into a Beautifly, and Hayley evolved into a Lopunny."_

"That's great." I heard a rustle from farther on, and decided to play it safe. "I'll have to call you back."

_"Aright, bye." _He said as he hung up.

"Bye," I said, as I closed in on the rustling. In a small clearing, next to the tombstone, lay Talia, but next to her was another Absol, towering over her as he stood. "Talia?" I said.

She turned, and said, "Zack, I didn't think you'd be back-"

"Who in Arceus's name is that?"

(A/N: yep, a third Absol. Wasn't planning on having him in the story, but a friend of mine wanted in as one, so here he is. Other than that, I'll catch all of you back here next Tuesday. ~Nano)


	27. Friend or Foe?

Chapter 27  
Friend or Foe?

{Who in Arceus's name are you?} The new Absol growled as he hovered over Talia. I rose my arms, signaling that I wasn't a threat.

{My name is Zack, and I am a friend of Talia here.} I gestured to her, since I knew she couldn't understand Pokémon. {I merely came here to check up on her; she's been here all day long. I needed to know she was okay.}

{She is fine, now leave, _Human._} He said that last word with venom, and it's poison touched me, sending shivers up my spine.

I muttered under my breath, {Why does every Absol I meet want to kill me or criticize me…} And lowered my arms to my sides..

{What was that?} he said.

{Nothing, I was talking to myself.} I walked over to Talia, and placed my hand on her neck. "Are you alright?"

"Yes… I'll meet you back in town, don't worry. I just… need to think."

"I understand." I started to walk away, when I noticed the tracks of a Pokémon. I took out Dexter, who identified them as an Ursaring's footprints.

{I defended her from an Ursaring attack, yes.} The male Absol said.

{Well, then I guess I have to thank you. Talia is a good friend.} I replied. {Might I have your name? I'm Zack.}

The Absol stared at me quizzically, but then shook his head and responded, {I am known as Spawn of Giratina, The White Devil…} I cut him off.

{Those sound more like insults. You must have an actual name, the one your parents gave you.}

His eyes suddenly glowed with anger, probably from a memory. {My father left us, and my mother was killed by one of your kind. I do not remember my name.} He crouched low, and it looked like he would strike. {It does not matter. You need not learn my name, since you'll never be able to tell anyone!} He jumped at me, and I barely dodged, his horn scraping my jacket.

{What the hell?} I exclaimed.

{I swore to kill your kind when I could. You're on your own, so that makes you an easier target!} he lunged at me again, preparing a bite attack. My metal arm, still covered by my jacket, intercepted the blow. I'll have to thank my mother for using such a strong metal; the alloy barely scratched under the pressure.

{What's wrong? Can't get a good enough grip?} I asked jokingly. I flung him off me, and ripped my now well-torn jacket off. I'd have to buy a new one anyway, it was so badly damaged.

{I'll drop you, mutant midget!}

{WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY? NOBODY CALLS ME A MIDGET AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!} We were about to collide, his horn with my fist, when two quick strikes hit both of us, knocking us to the ground. Standing above us was Talia.

"What is wrong with you two? I'm trying to mourn here." She angrily said. "Get along or I'll rip both your throats out." I could tell she meant it, so I slowly got up.

"Don't worry Talia, I'll stop. It was only in self-defense anyway." I looked towards the Absol, who stood up.

He muttered, {On one condition.} next thing I knew, he had quickly run to Talia, pecked a kiss on her cheek, and got out of range of the resulting Night Slash. Talia seemed annoyed, but the newcomer sat smugly nearby.

"Whatever. Now, leave me alone, both of you." She walked back to the grave of her father, and laid back down. I decided to leave, and walked back from the grave to town. On the way, the new Absol joined me.

{I never got your name.}

{I said I don't remember it. Be careful with your questions; I'm not killing you only on Talia's wishes.}

{You like her or something?}

{Shut up.} he responded, which only provoked a laugh from me. I decided to find some food, and shook some Oran berries down from a bush. I offered one to him, and he reluctantly accepted after his stomach growled.

{So, what's your story?} I said in-between bites. {Why do you hate humans so much?}

{Why do you want to know?}

{Just curious as to why someone would try to kill me.}

He began to explain his story to me. He had lived in the mountains with his mother, until a tragic accident with a dam. His mother was blamed by the local humans, and was executed for it. He was saved by Abita, who trained him and told him to kill humans. (Note: that's the short version; read the A/N at the end for more details.)

{Did Abita tell you the truth?}

{About what?}

{Himself.} I saw the Absol shake his head. {He told Talia and I. You see…} I explained what Abita said. This Absol made it clear he knew him from the past. I told him everything, even Abita's claim that he was once human. I still deny that claim, but I told him that anyway.

{He said all this?}

{Yeah. Talia can back me up if you don't believe me.}

He scratched the ground for a second, but said; {Zack, right? Thanks… for explaining that to me…} he shook his head, as if in a trance. {But that doesn't mean I trust you. I'm only hanging out with Talia.}

{Ha, fine.} I said. {but… let me tell you something,}

{What?}

{I can tell you're into Talia.}

{I'm not-} his face turned red as he hesitated to say more, but I continued.

{And if you want to travel with her, you'll need to travel with me. And you'll need a name.}

{I don't remember my name, though. It's been too long.}

{Which is why I'm giving you one until we learn your real name. welcome to the group, Dusk.}

(A/N: aaaaaaaand say hello to Absol #3! Yeah, he's what may be considered an "anti-hero" to most. My friend NightISkye owns Dusk, and you may read his story in _The World Through an Absol's Eyes. _So, you all might have enjoyed that chapter. BUT WAIT! Next week: Adventure! Team Rocket! And Mythical Pokémon! See you next Tuesday at NO PARTICULAR TIME! ~Nano.)


	28. Harmonious Rescue

Chapter 28  
Harmonious Rescue

I had decided to leave Dusk alone for the time being. I could tell he disliked me, even though the only reason was for being a human. I wandered in the forest, taking my time, when I realized something. I was completely lost. I looked at my hand's map, but to my dismay, Dusk had shattered it when he bit my arm.

"Well, fuck." I said out loud. I didn't have a normal map, since I thought I'd never lose the one in my freakin' arm. Not only that, but Ace and Joshua were back at the Pokémon center, and Talia was probably still at her father's grave. I'm lost, with little food and no map. Just great.

(Three hours later…)

I'm so hungry. It's the dead of night, full moon in the sky, and I have no idea where the hell I am. I looked up, down, and around, but the only thing I could see besides trees was a giant rock formation in the distance. It's the only thing I can see, so I'm headed straight for it.

Another half hour later, and I made it. The rock in question was a giant likeness of a Lunatone, down to pretty much every detail. Across from this, I saw several crystal formations, with several Pokémon on each. They seemed to be waiting for something. A bright flash of light came from behind me, and I looked up to see a small Pokémon I've never seen before fly towards the center, front formation. I whipped out Dexter faster than you could say "Who's that?"

_ "Meloetta, the mythical Pokémon of song and dance. Its melodies are sung with a special vocalization method that can control the feelings of those who hear it. Many famous songs and plays have been inspired by its melodies and dances."_

Wow, seemed like a rare occurrence to see her. And I also understood the crystal; the one Meloetta was standing on resembled a stage, while the others were the "seats." I crept closer, sitting on the edge of a rock to see and hear.

{Hello everybody!} Meloetta said. I'm glad nobody there had noticed me; this seemed to be a Pokémon-only affair. {I'm so glad so many of you could make it tonight!} Cheers came from the Pokémon below, who seemed to adore her. However, I saw one Pokémon on top of a crustle that looked familiar. Too familiar…

I saw him pull out a small black object, and pressed a button. Meloetta had settled and was ready to sing when a smoke bomb fell on the stage. The time of stealth was over; Meloetta was a mythical Pokémon, and she was allowed into the Hall of Origin. If I got on her good side, she might take me with her.

I jumped onto the stage, in a fighting stance. I saw Meloetta lying on the ground, stunned by the explosion. I ran over to her, and asked, {Are you okay?}

{Yes, I'm fine… but, wait… are you a human?}

{Yes, but I'm not here to hurt you. I saw a Meowth do something in the crowd.} I helped her to her feet, but she seemed too shaky from the smoke bomb to walk, so I picked her up. I was walking out of the smoke when a plastic sphere encased us, and lifted us up into the sky. We were pulled into the underside of a green hot-air balloon, and darkness encased us.

"Wow, Meowth, that actually worked!" a male voice said, also familiar.

"Was there ever any doubt? My plans always work out!"

"Well, what are we going to do with Meloetta now that we have her?" A female voice asked. Damn, where have I heard that before?

"Well, Jessie, you see, the Boss always has to make these hard business deals to help Team Rocket," Well, now I know. It's those three idiots I met back in Hoenn. "And he always is grumpy and upset the mornings after. Now, when he's feeling all down in the dumps, he then hears one of Meloetta's wonderful songs. And then he feels reinvigorated, and say to himself, 'I'll have to thank Meowth, Jessie, and James for bringing me this wonderful way to start my day by giving them promotions and fat bonuses!' and we'll be rolling in the dough!"

{Not if I have anything to say about that.} I said, pulling out my knife. I wedged the blade in the small seam where the two halves of the sphere met, and pulled. Nothing worked, and I eventually gave up, placing it back in my pocket.

{Where are we going?} Meloetta asked.

{I'm not sure.}

{Who are you, anyway? I've never met a human who hasn't tried to capture me, let alone protect me.}

{The name's Zack. And I know humans call you 'Meloetta,' but do you have a more personal name?}

{Melody.} she said. Of course it was, I thought. Wait, just one second…

*Turns toward author* "You named her Melody? How original was that?"

"Hey, it's the first thing that jumped to my head. It's better than Hilda, anyway. Now get back in the story."

"Fine." *Back to the story.*

We landed about an hour later. "James, go check on Meloetta." Jessie said. I heard footsteps around, and I came up with a plan.

{Melody, can you turn invisible like other legendary Pokémon?} I whispered.

{Yes.} she did so, and I told her to stay like that. A bright light stunned my eyes, since it was sunrise. A blue-haired man looked inside, then jumped back in shock.

"Ahh, who are you?" His companions rushed over to him, looked at me, then reacted the same way.

"Hey, I know it's kinda rude of you to kidnap people like this, but if you let me go I won't tell Officer Jenny about this." They opened up the capsule, saying apology after apology. Melody, still invisible, landed on my head as I walked away.

{Achoo!} She had sneezed, and that was that.

"Hey, that sounded mighty girly for a young man…" Jessie said.

"Wait, Jessie, do you recognize him?"

Meowth piped up, screaming, "Dear Arceus, it's the angry midget from Hoenn!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MIDGET? YOU'RE NOT EVEN TWO FEET TALL!" I pulled out my knife, hoping it would scare them off again. It did, as expected. They ran faster than a hyperactive pichu. Melody re-appeared on my head.

{Thanks, Zack. I owe you one.} she said, hovering above me. {I'll have to make it up to you later.}

{Wait, Melody, I think you can help me right now.}

{Oh, how?}

{I'm looking for a way to get an audience with Arceus…}

(A/N: SURPRISE UPDATE TIME! Now I have a way into the Hall of Origin, will I succeed in my task of bringing Kiara back from the dead? Will Rex come back? And will Team Rocket stop being afraid of a knife? Find out… probably not next time! ~Nano)


	29. Knocking on Heaven's Door

Chapter 29  
Knocking on Heaven's Door

{I'm sure I'll be frowned upon by the others, but you did save me, so I'm in debt.} Melody replied to me. {But just this once.}

{I understand. Thank you, Melody.} I looked calm on the outside, but inside, I was a cauldron of emotion. I was excited by the fact I might see Kiara again, but I was also brimming with rage at the prospect of seeing Rayquaza, her killer. All in all, I was hoping to get there as soon as possible.

{I'll lead the way, Zack.} Melody said, but I stopped her, saying,

{I need to check in with my friends first. They'd be worried sick if I just disappeared.} I walked over to Team Rocket's hot air balloon, and started to fire it up. That would get me back to Chapperton easily, since I could see it from the air.

About half an hour passes. I spent it blissfully in the air, enjoying Sinnoh from the air and listening to Melody's beautiful… melodies. I touched the balloon down just outside of the town, and asked Melody to stay by it.

{Alright, but don't bring anyone else with you, even Pokémon.} She warned.

{Why?}

{I'm going to get in enough trouble with one non-legendary creature, let alone more than that.}

{Alright.} I walked into the Pokémon center in the center of town, and was tackled by Joshua. He clung to my chest, digging his small eevee claws into my skin.

{Help… me… Zack…} He said, panting heavily.

{From what?}

{Sara and Brock… won't leave… me alone!} I rushed Joshua into my room, where I saw Aelita sitting at a desk, tinkering away at an electronic device with her Emolga sitting next to it. I let the scared eevee down, where he hid under the blanket.

"Uhh… hey, Aelita…" I said, rubbing the back of my head with my natural hand.

"I know that kind of tone. You broke your arm, didn't you?" She said.

"Uhh…"

"Yeah, you did. Detach it and I'll take a look and fix what I can." She sighed, all without turning around. Honestly, it's like she was a psychic-type. I lifted my arm, and hit a small button in the underside of my shoulder. I felt some pain as it popped off my body, but I laid it down on the desk.

"What did you do to mess up five million Poké's worth of cutting-edge of technology?"

"An Absol bit it off."

She started to take her tools to it, opening up the palm to remove the broken glass. "Pan- I mean, Talia?"

"No, another Absol I found next to her. He-"

"I don't care why, all I care about is the how. If I know how he broke it, then I know how to fix it."

_"Sheesh, you're sounding like my mother." _I thought. But, I said out loud, "He bit it. Hard, I might add."

She tinkered for a while, and I sat on the bed, reading a book entitled _The Munchlax Games. _It was a good read, and I'll have to read the sequel, _Catching Moltres, _when I could. An hour passed, and Aelita fixed my arm back to my shoulder.

I tried out the map function, and tested the X-Transceiver with Aelita's Pokégear. Everything worked fine.

"Thanks, Aelita," I said. I opened up my arm, and gave her Talia's, Joshua's, and Ace's Pokéballs.

"Huh?" She said, taking them. "Why are you giving me these?"

"I'm going to be… somewhere for a while, Aelita." I said. "I can't bring them with me, so I'm trusting you to look after them for me."

"I will, but what are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna knock on Arceus's door, and see if he's home." I replied. I said farewell to Joshua and her, and waved good-bye to Ace as he slept in the opposite bunk, completely oblivious to anything.

I had to track down Talia, though. I started by going to Abita's grave, but saw nothing but tracks. I followed them to a secluded grove, where I saw her sitting next to Dusk, talking with him while he wrote responses in the dirt. I crept out slowly, only to acquire both of their attentions.

"Zack? What are you doing here?" Talia asked. Dusk merely growled.

"I'm saying goodbye." I explained to her my plans, and why she couldn't tag along. She nodded in agreement, and I added on, "I'm also leaving you in charge of the others. Joshua's too lazy, and I wouldn't trust Ace to keep things… normal."

"I understand, Zack. Good luck." I made my way back to the balloon after Dusk said nothing, where Melody sat on the edge of the green basket.

{You ready?} she said.

{Yeah, let's go.} I hit the flame on the balloon to raise it. For those of you who may doubt my abilities to fly this, it's fairly simple. Flame makes it go up, and a small fan underneath the basket controls direction. The fan is probably an addition by Team Rocket, but I'm not complaining.

(Two days later.)

I never thought flying could get so boring, but Melody announced our arrival to Spear Pillar. I set the balloon down slightly outside the area, and walked out over the large stone structure. Several small Pokémon came out to look at me, but none attacked.

I looked around, then asked, {So, where's the door to the Hall of Origin?}

Melody flew around, and picked up a small stone. She dropped it in my hands, and said, {You need to play a certain song to make it appear to you. Follow after my voice with this.} I looked at the stone, and realized it had small holes all over it, bearing resemblance to an Ocarina. I found the mouthpiece, and blew a few experimental notes out to test it.

Melody sang a lovely five-note song, and I followed along as best I could. Soon enough, a pearl-white staircase appeared, leading up into the sky. {I'll go in first. I'll calm them, get them ready for you.}

{Alright.} I walked up with her, up to a giant white door. She shooed me to the side, so I couldn't be seen when she entered. I listened in to the conversation inside, to know when to drop in.

{Melody!} A thundering voice said. {Just who we were waiting for!}

{Hello, Lugia.} I heard Melody say. {Am I the last one?}

{Yeah, you have a knack for being fashionably late.} Lugia said.

Another voice chimed in, {Can you sing us a song while we wait for Arceus?}

{Sorry, but I hurt my voice during last night's serenade. I can barely sing a note.} Melody lied.

{Then how'd you get up here? You always sing the song.}

{I used the flute. Stop bothering me, Ray.}

_Ray?_

{Alright, alright. My neck still hurts from that human anyway, I wouldn't be able to enjoy it as much as I could.}

_Rayquaza!_

{Really? What happened?} Melody asked.

{Oh, I was in a little scrap with Deoxys over there,} I heard a faint grunt, presumably the Pokémon in question, {When this crazy human comes out of nowhere, stabbing my neck with a knife. He shouted something like, 'You killed her, you killed her!'} He seemed to mock the last part, sending most of the other legendaries into a frenzy.

{Oh, what did the human look like?} Melody said.

{He was short, with green hair. I don't remember much over the little one's details, but he was pissed. Don't know why.}

That was the last straw. Sorry, melody, but I have to. I barged into the room, the Hall of Origin, with my knife drawn. I got everyone's attention as I stared Rayquaza in the eyes.

{How would you like a refresher course, you bastard!}

(A/N: and here it is, the second-to-last chapter of the story! So, as I forgot to mention last week, Melody's voice sounds like Vanille from Final Fantasy XIII. Now, I hope that all you loyal fans will join me and click on this story anytime Saturday for the conclusion! Blood, sweat and tears will be lost! Feelings renewed! Love strengthened! Be there or be square! ~Nano.)


	30. Final Chapter

Final Chapter

(A/N: Here it is, the final chapter. Please, I have to thank all of my readers for staying with the story to this point, and i hope this last chapter is to everyone's expectations. Now, enjoy.)

{It's the same human!} Rayquaza yelled. He flew over to me, staring me in the face. {How dare you infiltrate the Hall of Origin, most sacred of all places, and threaten the Lord of the Sky?}

{I dare, Rayquaza. I fucking dare!} I was pissed at this guy. Really, if I wasn't here to get on Arceus's good side, I'd kill him. Then again, I also shouldn't have barged in like that. It was too late to change that, so I swung outward with my knife.

{You are trying to kill me? How quaint. I'd love to see your best efforts.}

A voice in the back yelled, {Get 'em, Ray!} Turns out it was from Lugia.

Another voice, coming from Groudon, {Naw, I wanna see the kid win.}

Rayquaza flung himself at me, using extremespeed. He hit me, but I hung onto his head, gripping to punch his eye. My knife fell from my hand when he hit me, but pure steel hitting your eye isn't pleasant either. He roared in pain, flinging me off of him onto a Pokémon below.

{Sorry, Jirachi.} I said as I got off the steel and psychic type. I jumped back at Ray, arm drawn back for another punch. He used outrage, however, knocking me out of the air onto some rocks on the ground. One of them hit a button on the inside of my arm, one I didn't know about. A blade, made of the same material as the rest of my arm popped out. Of all things, a post-it note was on it.

_Zack,_

_ I hope that I mentioned this when I gave you your arm back. If I didn't, well, I put this blade here so you can defend this arm better. It is a very valuable piece of machinery!_

_ -Aelita_

Well, wasn't that nice of her? I think so, at least. The blade came out over the back of my hand, turning my arm into a sword. {Come and get me, Rayquaza!}

{Nobody challenges a god and lives!} He bellowed, rushing at me with another extremespeed. I ducked to the right at the last second, holding my blade to the left. It caught his jaw, and made a deep gash that widened his mouth by three inches. {WORTHLESS CHILD!}

He prepared a flamethrower, but the fire passed over his injury, causing him damage. Enraged, he tried to hit me with a dragon claw. I blocked with my robotics, the blade parrying the attack well. I jumped up off of his hand, and landed on his head. I held my blade to his eye.

{Do you yield?}

{Never!} He shook violently, and I flew off him. He whipped his tail at me in the air, and I went flying straight into Dialga, Lord of Time. He made no comment as I slid off him, landing on my knees. Ray was about to hit me again, but he stopped short.

The strangest thing happened. He bowed. Every other Legendary followed, and I was deeply confused. I then realized something. {There's something behind me, isn't there?} I said.

{WHAT IN THE NAME OF ME IS GOING ON HERE?} A loud voice screamed. I turned around, only to see Arceus himself, fire raging in his eyes. I quickly bowed to him; one does not simply disrespect the creator of all life. {WELL? SOMEONE ANSWER ME!}

{I uhh, well, you see, father…} Palkia, Lord of Space, stuttered.

{WHY IS A HUMAN IN MY HALL?} He looked down at me, eyeing me carefully. {ANSWER ME!}

{I came here to meet you, Arceus. It is about-}

{I do not care why you are here. What I do care about, is why you would attack my child, the Lord of the Sky.}

{Revenge.} I said flatly. I wasn't going to lie, but I wouldn't sugar-coat anything.

{Does he speak the truth, Rayquaza?}

{Well, I'm not sure, father… we met in Orre…} Ray started, but was interrupted by Arceus slamming his foot onto the ground.

{Well, why were you in Orre? It is not your domain!}

{Deoxys and I were having a territorial fight…}

{AND WHY? BOTH OF YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY CLAIM OVER ORRE!} Arceus calmed down a little, then said, {Your brother and sister, Lugia and Ho-Oh, have claim there.}

{Well, the desert section in the middle-}

{Was my territory, Ray!} Ho-Oh chimed in. {You shouldn't have been there in the first place.}

{Father, please, you're not going to listen to this human over me, are you?} Ray said.

{You have a point. Why do you hate my son, human? Even if he was somewhere he shouldn't have been.}

{Lord Arceus, I was travelling through Orre on my way to my mother's research station, to meet her. On the way there, Ray and Deoxys were fighting, and I was caught in the middle.}

{Is this true?} Arceus asked Ray.

{Yes, I cannot deny.}

{Continue, human.}

I explained, {Ray here used an outrage attack, which missed Deoxys and hit my vehicle instead. The resulting explosion took both my arm and my love's life.}

Arceus looked positively furious when I said that. He turned to Ray fully. {Rayquaza, what is my first rule for all of my children?}

{'We will not kill, unless in self-defense'} Ray muttered.

{Precisely. You killed an innocent human, and wounded another. Deoxys and yourself will be punished, but for now, I must talk more to this human. I want both of you out of my sight.}

{But father, I-}

{GET OUT!} Arceus screamed, slamming the ground. Rayquaza and Deoxys flew out at lightning speed, the door slamming shut behind them. Arceus calmed down, and lifted me to a higher viewpoint, so he wouldn't have to look down. {Now, why are you here, human?}

{I have come here to ask for my love back, since she was unjustly killed.} Several gasps came from the other legends, surprised by my bluntness.

{I cannot bring back the dead, and none of my children can bring back a human.}

{She wasn't a human, Lord Arceus.} I said.

He seemed stunned, but I continued. {She was a gardevoir by the name of Kiara. I can speak your language, as you must have noticed, so I tend to think of myself as more like you than a human.}

{I have noticed, human. I can sense something… odd about you, something I did not intend for your kind. As much as I feel sympathy for you, I still cannot bring her back.} I was about to interject, but he continued, {I can do many things. I can create life, destroy it, reshape the world… but the one thing that eludes me is the ability to bring the dead back to life. My son, Giratina, has that power.}

He looked around the room, but frowned. {Where is Giratina? This is a mandatory meeting, where is he?}

Dialga spoke up. {I was going to tell you, father, but the last time a rift to the reverse world opened up, only Giratina's Griseous orb came out.} He nudged a small, yellow crystal on the ground, bringing it to the same level as me.

{Where is he?} Arceus demanded.

{I do not know, father. Palkia and I believe him to be trapped in the reverse world.} Arceus stared at the orb, then hovered over to the pool of water in the chamber, located behind him.

{Father, you can't be serious!} Palkia exclaimed.

{I am. I am going to see if my son is in trouble.}

{But what if he is, and you can't get back? You know that only Giratina can make a portal out of the reverse world!}

{Hmm…} Arceus stopped. He loved his son, obviously, but he couldn't bear the thought of the rest of his children being without him.

I stood up. {I'll go.} Most of the legends opposed me, but Arceus silenced them.

{Why, human? Why would you risk your own life?}

{I would do anything if it meant getting Kiara back.} I paused. {Plus, it's a win-win for you. If I return, you have your son back. If I don't, you know that it's too dangerous to go yourself.}

{You care about her greatly, human. I can tell.} Arceus thought for a moment, than said, {Very well, human, go to the reverse world. Take the Griseous orb with you, to find my son. It resonates with his life force.} I picked up the orb, and carried it with me as I made my way to the pool of water. Arceus made the portal, and I peered in, bracing myself.

{Take my blessing as well, human. You have a lot of bravery to do something I hesitated over.}

{Thank you, Lord Arceus.} I said. I jumped into the portal, feeling absolute weightlessness as I fell.

In the distance behind me, I heard most of the legendaries, including Arceus, say, {Ashes to Ashes…}

_I'm coming, Kiara._

{Dust to Dust}

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Credits

Character ideas go to:

Zack- me, myself and I

Kiara- The love of my life, whose name I cannot mention here.

Joshua- my cat, Charlie. Lazy son of an Absol.

Rex- Indiana Jones

Pandora/Talia- Combination of Jin (Dust: and Elysian Tail) and Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto)

Ace- My other cat, tiger, and my cousin's bird, who both believe themselves better than all life.

Orion- an OC lent by Timberstar.

Chaybn- my friend's OC, he goes by RageOfMan on the site.

Dusk- my friend NightISkye's OC

Music:

Zack's theme- _What I'm Made of, _by Crush 40

Kiara's theme- _Eyes Open, _Ending song of the movie, _The Hunger Games_

Pandora/Talia's theme- _With Me, _by Crush 40 (final boss of Sonic and the Black Knight)

Rex's theme- Indiana Jones main theme

Joshua's theme- Shrek's version of silent night (look it up)

Ace's theme- _Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky Main Theme_

Ending 1 (Zack to Kiara)- _All Again For You, _By We the Kings

Ending 2 (Kiara to Zack)- _The Other Side, _By Evanescence

Special Thanks:

-My mom, with her endless cookies and support

-My dad, with story ideas and help

-My brother, for not bothering me while I wrote

-My friends, for their support and input

-My readers, for sticking it through with Zack.

~Nano


End file.
